Assassins dance
by prettygirlbunny
Summary: A/U - Bulma has been turned into an Android. Can Vegeta help her reclaim her humanity or will she be lost to him for all time? B/V
1. Chapter 1

Assassins dance

Dr. Gero paced back and forth in his lab. The lights and noises of the room fading into the background as he read the missive he had received. He took a drag of his cigarette before using it to light the letter on fire. He set it down on a dish letting it burn down into ashes. He dropped the cigarette, stubbing out the butt with his boot. With the smell of smoke and ash still lingering in the air, he moved to step in front of one of his many water tanks. He looked thoughtfully at the contents of the tank. The order had been very specific. He rubbed his chin with his hand. It would be a risk. This android was newly created in comparison to his others, her programming incomplete at best.

He pushed buttons on the side of the tank. The water drained and after a few moments the door opened. Bare feet stepped onto the stone cold lab floor. Blue eyes the color of ice on an ocean looked at him in complete obedience. Beautiful, he thought, simply beautiful. Such a rare specimen and he had acquired it easily. It was a shame he had to send it out on a mission where it might be destroyed. He snapped his fingers and the android looked at him smiling. Android was probably the wrong term, she was more like a cyborg having once been human. Old habits died hard though and he still referred to his creations as androids.

He touched the android's hair, letting the silky strands fall through his fingers. "I have a mission my dear." The android remained silent and smiling as it looked at him. "It's very dangerous and you may not come back." No response. The android tilted its head as if it were a confused child. "I'm going to return your personality to you as well as program you with the skills you will need for this mission." He reached up to touch the android on the cheek. "I just want you to know that I'm going to miss you and that you are my finest creation."

He took it by the hand and led it over to a flat platform with a round raised dais. He placed the android there; its wide eyes and child like innocence a stark contrast to the bleak cold of the lab. He walked over to a control panel. He dialed in the program that he wanted and pushed the lever up. A series of lights began spinning above the android's head as it suddenly screamed in pain. It fell to its knees trying to brace itself with its hands. Bent over like it was, it reminded him of a dog being scolded by its master. The thought amused him and he allowed himself a small chuckle.

When the screaming ended the android stayed bent over, tears streaming down its face. When it spoke, it's voice was hoarse from disuse. "You bastard, what did you do to me?" It sat up then arms folding across its chest, trying in vain to cover its naked body. He pushed a button on the console and the android cried out. It started whimpering when the pain did not cease and only after it doubled over from pain did he stop the torture.

"The mission details are in the program I just installed in you. You'll find everything you need in that chest to your left." He pointed to a black box with the red ribbon logo on it. He picked up another cigarette and lit it. He inhaled deeply letting the smoke fill his lungs. The android did not move, it just stared at him with hate filled eyes. "You know that you are the last of my lovely creations. Take comfort in the fact that there will not be any more." He coughed then, his chest spasming as it took great effort to catch his breath. When he finally stopped, he wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. His white lab coat revealed the blood that had escaped his lips.

"If you complete this mission," he gasped out straightening himself, "I will set you free." The android looked at him, her pale eyes showing the distrust. The creature could not hide the hope he had seen flash momentarily in its eyes. Hope was such a lying bastard, just like him. He leaned againt the console for support. "I've had the computer run the specs for this particular mission and it recommended returning you to your true self. I don't like this because it means you are less obedient than I prefer but since I am setting you free, you might as well be yourself again." He dropped the cigarette as it had now burned down to his fingers. He snuffed it out, his eyes never leaving the android's.

"You have 30 days to finish the mission. If you are not able to complete your task by the end of the 30 days, the neural synaptics in your brain will burst and you will die." The android started crying again. He scowled at it. He walked over to it and kicked it in the side. "You ungrateful wretch, I have given you so many gifts: a longer lifespan, improved strength and agility, not to mention the added programs like weapons expert and ability to learn any language upon hearing it once." The android dare to look at him with hate filled eyes. He kicked it again. "Stop making me hurt you. I need you in one piece to complete this."

It dared to speak again, "What do you get out of this? My diagnostics tell me that your disease is incurable. You can't take the money with you. Why did you even bother waking me up? Why couldn't you have just let me rest in peace or better yet, destroyed me already?"

He smiled, an vile grin that showed a hint of madness. "Infamy, my dear. You complete this mission in my name and I will go down in history books. They write stories about me, famous actors will compete to play me, universities will have psychological case studies on me to argue about for centuries!" He laughed, a crazed laugh and the android shivered a little. He grabbed it by the hair, lifting it up to be eye level with him. "Now, go! Cry havoc across the universe as I unleash you, my dog of war!" He let the android's head fall out of his hands and walked over to the console again. "Yes, destroy and conquer for me!"

The android's hands fisted at its sides as it stood up. It looked over at its master as if it wanted to defy him again. His hand rested on the control console, an amused look spreading across his face as the android slowly stepped over to the chest. It opened it taking out the clothes it would need. Slowly it dressed itself before bending down to fill a knapsack with equipment. Most of the items were precautionary as the android itself was considered a deadly weapon. It slung the sack over it's shoulder. It took time to smooth it's hair back, placing a black beret with a small brim on it's head. Lastly, it added black fingerless gloves. The clothes it had chosen were stylish to say the least. The black crop top had the shoulders cut out but fit snuggly across the chest but stopping just under the breasts. The black pants were also skin tight with accompanying black knee high boots. If he didn't know better, he would assume that it was an ordinary college girl out for a day of shopping.

This is why she was his best assassin, everyone underestimated her. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear and turned to glare at him again. He crossed his arms, his voice becoming almost paternal. "Do you have everything you need?" The android nodded before going towards the door. It paused as Dr. Gero spoke one last time, "And 22, don't get any funny ideas about disarming yourself. I will be monitoring you the whole time." He pointed to his head, tapping it lightly with his finger. The door closed with a soft click as the android left for its mission. Dr. Gero turned back to the computer screen. Oh yes, this would be his legacy.

She touched down in a barren area of the planet. It was better this way, less people, less chance of detection. The android known as "22" jumped out of her ship landing soundlessly on the ground. There was a fine misting rain that made the air slightly cooler for this time of year. She lifted her face to the rain, enjoying the feel of it on her skin. It was different than she remembered, different than when she was human.

She cursed Dr. Gero and the body she now resided in. He was evil, cruel, sadistic. Dr. Gero may have given her back her original personality but he gave her nothing else. When she tried to access her original memories, she would just get vague shadows and glimpses. Worse, he had made sure to include all the memories from previous missions. He wanted her to know just how far she had fallen. She wanted to weep for the disgusting creature she had become but no tears would come. She was just too numb. The rain stopped.

She sighed, more out of habit than needing the breath. She lowered her head to the horizon. The capital city was 20 miles from here. She carried the black knapsack in one hand. She concentrated for a moment. The energy surrounded her and she felt her wings unfold. She started running, her wings catching the wind. In a moment, the world was far below her. She reveled in the sensation. She made sure to fly low enough to be undetectable by radar. In flying she could forget why she was there. She could just revel in the sensation as her shadow sped along the ground below her. To her lament, her flight was over as she reached her destination.

She pulled up just shy of the main gate, dispersing her energy wings. They disappeared with a snap leaving the static of spent energy in the air. She placed her hand to the gate wall and a small panel revealed itself. She pressed her finger to the touch screen, her eyes processing the code to bypass alarms and give herself access to all doors. The panel gave a beep of acceptance and a door opened to her left.

She was surprised to see no guards when she stepped through the door. It was possible that she arrived right at shift change. She didn't think more of it as she pressed further into the building. She quickly accessed a map of the city and headed towards her target.

She was contemplating why the city was so deserted when she heard a thunderous roar coming from a domed building. She headed towards it curious. After all, she had 30 days to complete her mission, why not have a little fun first. There were many large entrances and she randomly chose one. As she walked down the corridor the ceiling became vaulted. The light brightened and the cheers from a large crowd became deafening. She stopped just shy of the entrance. She backed against a wall and moved cautiously.

It was a large stadium. She peered around the room, everyone's eyes were transfixed in the center ring. On the lower levels close to the ring, she noticed a crowd of tailed dark haired warriors. Saiyans, her sensors told her. She looked around the arena. Her target was not among them. She continued to scan the crowd. As she got higher up, she noticed that there was an odd mix of humans and aliens. The highest up were dressed all in clothes a step up from rags. Clearly there was a hierarchy here.

She needed to tread carefully. She chose an open spot near a viable exit and moved swiftly through the crowd. The crowd cheered loudly and enthusiastically. She had a feeling she could have been an elephant at that moment and no one would have noticed. She sat next to a portly human garbed in blue. He was shaking a big fist in the air. He leaned down to get his drink perched right next to her chair. He paused when he noticed her. "I've not seen you before." He said loudly trying to speak over the crowd.

Her sensitive hearing would have picked up a whisper but she thought it best to play along. "I'm new here," she spoke as loudly, "Name's Athena," she lied easily, "What's going on?"

He smiled warmly. "Well Athena you are in for a treat. Tonight is the largest tournament we've ever had. Most of the time it's low level criminals or gladiators fighting, but not tonight. No, we're in luck. King Vegeta is in one of his moods. Someone insulted his generals so he ordered them to give a demonstration of their strength. The best part is the heir himself is battling tonight."

They were half way up but her enhanced eyesight gave her an advantage. She studied the fighters now engaged in battle on the dirt floor. One had extremely long dark hair. He was pummeling an older bald man with a pencil thin mustache. A horn sounded and the two men separated. They bowed to each other then the younger man clasped an arm around the other's shoulders. The bald man clapped the long haired one on the back and they exited the arena.

"Was that the heir?" she asked.

"No. Those were the Prince's bodyguards. The one with the long hair is Radditz. The older bald man is Nappa. They are elite. If I had to rank them in terms of strength, I would say Radditz is 3rd and Nappa is 4th as far as King Vegeta's loyal soldiers go." He took a swig of his foamy beverage setting it down hard on the arm of the chair. "I just lost money. I thought for sure Nappa's many years of experience would give him an edge over Radditz. I still think Nappa could have come through if it wasn't for the rule about the time limit?" He rubbed the back of his neck with a big sweaty palm. "Oh well, all is good. The next fight will win me my money back for sure."

"Who is fighting next?" she asked genuinely curious.

"The prince himself vs their most elite general, Kakarrot!" He clapped his hands together and rubbed them anxiously. "I'm going to make a fortune." He leaned down conspiratorially, putting a hand by his mouth, "You see, everyone's going to bet on the prince because he's undefeated in battle. However, I put all my money on Kakarrot. He's never failed a mission and no one has ever seen him fight the prince before even though they are sparring buddies." He winked at her.

She raised an eyebrow and smiled at the man. Again, she had time. What harm would it cause if she just watched one little fight? A distant memory called to her, telling her that she had been a fan of such fights in the past; rooting for a nameless, faceless victor. The name was on the tip of her tongue. She rubbed her temples, a headache forming any time she tried to access those memories. She leaned forward in her chair as an announcer stepped into the middle of the ring.

"Ladies and Gentleman, I proudly present to you a hero for the people. A man who time and again has proven his worth. A leader who any man would be happy to follow into battle." A man came out to hand him a card. The announcer read it, "And the biggest idiot the universe has ever seen!" The crowd laughed at the joke. "Please give a cheer for Kakarrot!"

She heard a masculine voice yell, "Actually, it's Goku." A man casually strolled out onto the field. He was tall and like all Saiyans had black spikey hair. He was running one hand nervously through that hair. Unlike all the other Saiyans in battle armor, he wore an orange karate gi with a blue undershirt. She stared at him as amazingly he didn't have a tail! The only Saiyan here without a tail. She started to wonder about that when she got a flash of something.

A giant ape was running rampage. It was like she was viewing it from outside herself. A young man and young girl that looked very much like her were riding on the tail of the great ape. The image faded quickly as the crowd grew impatient for the tall Saiyan's opponent. A chant of the man's name went through the crowd, "Vegeta! Vegeta! Vegeta!"

The excitement was infectious and she felt herself chanting along with them. Everyone got on their feet and she had to hover a little to see over the person in front of her. After the crowd worked itself into a frenzy, a man walked out from the opposite entrance of his opponent. He wore typical Saiyan armor except his had a crimson cape attached. The cape moved with every fluid step the man took. The announcer yelled into the mike, "The one you all have been waiting for has arrived! I present to you: Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans!" She gasped. Whoa he was hot! Like a walking advertisement for sex kind of hot. She really wished she could get a closer look at all those muscles. She checked her mouth as she felt like she may have even been drooling.

Vegeta was cracking his knuckles as he walked and a wicked grin was spread across his face. He tilted his head to the side as he approached the center of the arena. He spoke to his opponent and she was sure she was the only person to hear it amoungest the roar of the crowd. "Are you ready to have your third class Saiyan ass beaten all around this arena?" Kakarrot stepped back into a fighting stance his hand raised towards the Prince in a "bring it" gesture. Vegeta nodded before taking a similar pose, one hand palm out in front of his forehead. The announcer ran to the other side of the arena, trying to get as much distance between himself and the fighters.

The announcer suddenly became serious. A wind blew across the arena as everyone waited with baited breath. He raised his hand in the air. Sweat forming on his brow. He looked at his Prince and then at Kakarrot. With a sudden movement of his hand, the man declared "Fight!" dragging out the five letter word into eight syllables. The crowd cheered as the two engaged in battle.

An explosion of power erupted and as the two combatants flew towards each other. The blows came fast and furious. Kakarrot was just as good as Vegeta. It was clear to everyone they were evenly matched. Neither could get the edge over the other. Kakarott managed to land a punch in Vegeta's stomach causing him to exhale sharply. The Prince responded by landing a good kick to Kakarrot's head and he was thrown towards the stands. He managed to stop himself before he injured anyone but unfortunately for everyone watching the fight, he stopped himself right in front of 22. They locked eyes for a moment. He smiled broadly at her, drawing her up into a huge unwelcome embrace.

He crushed her to him and said in a sad voice, "Bulma. It's you, right? We've missed you. Where have you been?"

She pulled herself apart from him. He looked stunned as she slapped him across the face. "I don't know who you are but you don't get to touch me!"

The people closest to her gasped at her audacity to strike a general in King Vegeta's army. He floated back away from her; shock spreading across his face.

"But Bulma, it's me, it's Goku," he pleaded. "Don't you remember me? We're friends."

22's hands clenched in fists at her side. "No, I don't remember you." She put a hand on her chest as she felt unshed tears forming in her eyes. "I don't even remember me!" She shouted at him.

Goku stood there. His mouth agape. He couldn't be wrong. This girl was Bulma. Though it didn't look like the Bulma who had disappeared. This was her but a younger version of her somehow. Maybe she made a wish to Shenron for eternal youth or something. He scratched his head. He felt Vegeta's ki approaching him. He turned around to shield Bulma from his sight. He couldn't risk Vegeta accidentally hurting the girl who may or may not be Bulma. Vegeta wasn't always in control of his temper.

22 was confused as she felt the approach of the Saiyan Prince. Goku/Kakarrot had turned his back on her and was blocking her view of his opponent. She was highly confused and felt her face flush as she noticed everyone was staring at her. This was not good. An assassin should never be noticed.

Vegeta came to a pause in front of Kakarrot. He was hiding something behind him. Vegeta tried to peer around him but the taller man just shifted more to block his view. He grew impatient. "You blasted idiot, what are you doing here? Are you trying to hide something from me?" He tried to move the fool but Kakarrot wouldn't budge.

"Sorry Vegeta, I just got distracted a moment. You know how I am, don't you want to go back to the fight?" He asked sheepishly. A forced grin appearing on his face while he laughed nervously.

Vegeta went to punch him and Kakarrot blocked. Vegeta smirked. He pointed to his right and said, "Goku, is that your crazy woman looking for you?"

Kakarrot panicked as he took the bait and looked away. Vegeta was finally able to view what Kakarrot was trying to hide but as he looked around him all he saw was an empty chair. He hit Kakarrot on the back of the head.

Goku was extremely perplexed. The girl who looked like a young Bulma had vanished. He scanned the area. He couldn't feel Bulma's ki. He shrugged, maybe it was just his imagination. His gut told him though that it was her that he had seen. He gave up trying to find the girl in such a large crowd and followed Vegeta back down to the arena floor to continue their fight.


	2. Chapter 2

22 was breathing hard as she hid in the shadows. She had had to move fast to get out of that situation. While all eyes were on the warrior who called himself Goku, she had used her invisibility shield to extricate herself. It didn't last long, only a minute but it was long enough for her to move to a nearby exit. She dare not fly or move quickly as to not draw attention. She had a feeling that if she did, she would be noticed by The Prince. She didn't know why but she was both excited and terrified at the thought.

She shook the thought from her head and moved out of the arena letting the crowd cheer on the fighters. She brought up the map of the area. She needed to get back to her target. She so focused on tracking her target that she didn't notice that she walked into someone. She apologized without looking up but paused when she felt hands on her arms. "Bulma?" A familiar voice said to her.

She was beginning to get annoyed. She didn't know who this Bulma chick was but when she found her, she was going to punch her in the nose for causing her this much trouble. She looked up at the man who dared to have her by the arms. He was muscular with scars on his face. The scars didn't detract from his good looks but instead gave his face a sense of character. He seemed familiar to her but she couldn't place a name to him. Her head began to hurt with the usual buzzing of incomplete memories.

She grabbed his arms and flipped him over her head rolling with him until she was on top. He seemed surprised by her strength. She punched him, knocking him out cold on the ground. She started to leave when she heard him moan. She felt a pang of guilt for leaving him out in the open so she propped him up against the wall of the stadium. Before she left she ran a finger against the scar on his face. A flash went through her mind and again she saw someone who looked like her talking to a younger version of the man.

"You have scars now," the girl said. She put her hand on the man's chest. "Did it hurt when it happened? Do they hurt now?"  
The young man put his hands behind his head. "Are you worried about me, Bulma?"

The young girl smiled and shoved him teasingly. "As if! I'm more worried about the poor creature who gave you the scar."

He laughed good naturedly. "It all worked out in the end. Don't worry, Babe. I won't let myself get hurt like this again. It was a one time thing."  
The girl moved closer wrapping her arms around the young man's neck. "Promise?"

"Promise," he responded before leaning down to kiss her.

22 rubbed her arms as the memory slid over her like a cold shower. She pacified any lingering guilt by making sure he was hidden in the shadows before she continued on her way. Within a few minutes she made her way to a large domed building. The name on the building said, "Capsule Corp." She smiled. She would get in, kill the target, and get out. Easy.

Goku moved around the room restlessly. He sat in the chair, leaned over a bubbling cylinder, almost touched several buttons and caused a minor explosion before Vegeta finally hit him on the back and told him to keep still. Professor Briefs was calm as he walked over to Goku. He had the young man sit on an empty lab table before he started to examine him.

"So Goku what brings you here today?" He asked merrily. He handed Goku a sucker from his pocket which the Saiyan took happily. He slobbered out a response as his tongue wrapped around the candy.

"I think I saw a ghost," he said or at least that's what Professor Briefs thought he said.

"A ghost, Goku? Where did you see one?" he asked not doubting him for a minute. Goku was a lot of things but a liar wasn't one of them. He wasn't one of those types to go around making up stories for attention.

"In the Arena. It was right there real as life. I hugged it. It felt warm but the person looked different from than last time I saw them. Like a younger version of themselves. I thought when we died we were sent to either heaven or hell and we didn't retain a physical body. Is it possible for reincarnation to happen so fast? Can a person grow to a full sized body in just a short period of time?" He scratched his head as all these questions came pouring out like water from a bottle.

Vegeta huffed. "See professor, Kakarott has always been off but now he's just insane. I think I may have kicked him in the head too hard." He pointed to his own skull for emphasis.

The professor took out a magnifying glass. He held Goku by the shoulder, stepping on a stool in order to look down at him. He checked his eyes, his ears, his nose, his mouth. He examined his head, moving it up and down, back and forth. Finally he stepped back and pulled a cigarette from his pocket. He lit it using a bunson burner before taking a slow deep drag from it.

He exhaled, shaking his head as he did so. "I don't see anything wrong with Goku. Everything looks normal upon examination. Saiyans are tough. I doubt there would be a blow to the head strong enough to make him start hallucinating. You're ok to leave now Goku but you are welcome to come back any time."

Vegeta smacked Goku on the back of the head. "You stupid waste of time, good for nothing, lazy..." Goku just laughed and kept saying he was sorry to Vegeta as the two were about to go out the door.

"By the way, Goku, who was the ghost you saw?" Professor Briefs inquired politely as the two men stood there, door open wide. Goku looked nervously over at Vegeta. He gulped a little before replying.

"You won't believe this but I think I saw..." he was interrupted as glass from a shattered window flew across the room. The Professor tripped on a chair and fell backwards landing underneath another lab table. A figure clad in black wearing a black hat stood amoungst the debris. The cigarette fell out of his mouth plunging to the floor. He felt elation and then fear as the figure that stood before him wasn't just his daughter but his little girl when she was younger, in her early twenties. Eyes the color of starlight stared at him intensely. It couldn't be his daughter. She didn't have eyes like that. He reached a shaking hand out to her tentatively. "Bulma?"

She stood there for a moment. She felt sick at her stomach. Why did it have to be this way? These people could give her answers to her past and this elderly man in front of her was no threat. Why was he her target? Why did she have to kill this purple haired grandfatherly figure before her. She felt the headache again and shut her mind down. Thinking wasn't going to get her anywhere. She had to finish this assignment or she was going to be destroyed. And despite everything that had happened, everything that she had done and the monster she had become, she was surprised to find that she desperately wanted to live.

She raised her hand towards him, redirecting some energy to form a small blast. She would give the man a quick death if nothing else. He looked at her; fear spreading across his face. 22 whispered a small, "I'm sorry" before she let the blast loose. But it never hit its intended target. As it had gotten closer to her target, a man dressed in a blue combat suit had stepped in front of it. He knocked the blast out of the air like it was nothing. She recognized him as Prince Vegeta. She clicked her teeth and fired off several more shots only to have the same thing happened.

She cursed now as she started quickly formulating a plan. The question was did she stay and fight or did she flee and try again later? The decision was made for her as she narrowly avoided a ki blast aimed for her head. She blinked and he was already in front of her. She brought her hands up to cover her face as he quickly changed tactics and kneed her in the gut. His face was contorted in a puzzling mixture of both anger and agony. She could barely block him. Her body was beginning to hurt from the effort, he was just too strong.

She tried avoiding him but every time she would attempt to disengage, he would corner her. She could tell from his eyes that he wasn't about to let his prey escape. She felt herself using up too much energy. Why couldn't she have been one of those perpetual energy models like 17 and 18? She groaned as the prince landed a hit right in her chest. She flew backwards into a wall. She coughed as warm liquid dripped down her lip. She wiped it on the back of her sleeve. Blood was part of the reason she always wore black on missions. She faltered a step. She needed more energy. And the good doctor gave her only one way to get that energy. The bastard. Her opponent was powering up an energy attack. Perfect.

Vegeta had had it with this imposter. She may look like his Bulma but she was not HIS BULMA. He would make her pay for the audacity to copy his mate. Then he would find whomever created her and beat them within an inch of their life. He would get some of those sensu beans first so he could beat them, revive them, then beat them again until he ran out of sensu beans. He smirked at the thought. The creature in front of him was wounded. He could tell that the blast he was powering up would finish her. To his surprise she suddenly burst into super speed and was in front of his face. Before he could react she grabbed his head and started kissing him.

He stilled. It was a soft gentle kiss but he felt the old embers of a dying flame behind it. He released his energy and grabbed her. He kissed her back passionately. She tried to pull back but he wouldn't let her. He deepened the kiss, his hands on her hips pulling her closer. She yielded and his tongue invaded her mouth. He kissed her expertly. She moaned, it was throaty noise full of bedroom promises. Her body rubbed against his intuitively. He felt a little weak but he pressed on. His tail wrapped around her waist securing her to him. He lost himself in the taste of her. He was getting dizzy but he didn't care. He wanted her and he was going to have her.

22 could feel the Saiyan's energy flowing into her. It was limitless, it was intoxicating. Not as much as his kiss, she had to admit. There was electricity there and she was positive it wasn't just from the energy transfer. She tried to push him away, she didn't want to kill him but he wouldn't let her go. She melted into him. It seemed so perfect. Her soul wanted to cry. It was like being home for the first time in a long time. He wouldn't let her break the spell they were both under. She had to, though, or she would take too much energy from him. She stepped hard on his foot. He growled and finally pulled away.

When he did, he collapsed to his knees. "What have you done to me?"

She said nothing. Instead she reached into her black bag and handed him a vial. "Drink this, it will restore your energy. It only works on non-androids. I promise its not poison. I just couldn't forgive myself if you suffered ill effects from something that mind blowing." She winked at him.

"Why are you doing this to me?" He looked into her eyes, so much like his woman's but that sky blue was like fog on water. It was inhuman.  
"It's my mission," was all she said before looking around for the scientist. He was at his desk now, furiously using a screwdriver on a black circular object. She heard him yell something across the room. "Keep her busy."

That was when she noticed the other Saiyan had stepped away from the door. He smiled at her. "This is going to be awesome! I never thought I would be fighting you Bulma! I mean really how many times have you helped us out from the sidelines and now you are actually in combat!"  
Vegeta groaned, "Shut up Kakarott. That's not Bulma. She's probably not even human, she's just some copy, a cheap imitation. She could never be her."

For whatever reason his barb about her being a copy really stung, she turned around to let him have it, taking her eyes off the other Saiyan. "Copy? I'm not a copy. I was human once and then I was taken by Dr. Gero. He made me into this blend of woman and machine! Blame him for your woes. And I don't know who this Bulma woman was to you but I bet she's not as great as you remember. I bet she was whiny and selfish and a crybaby. I bet she never would have survived Dr. Gero's labs or the many missions he's sent me on. She definitely wouldn't be the same after the things he's made me do. Bulma? Ha! She's the imitation. She's the fantasy. I'm Android Twenty-Two and I am the reality." Tears finally spilled down her face as despair began to overwhelm her.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned in surprise to find the one named Goku was the touching her. It was a gentle grip, one meant to support rather than subdue. She shrugged it off. He stepped back from her to show he was not a threat. 22 didn't care about the mission anymore, she had to get out of there. She gathered her energy and formed her wings. She turned to go out the hole she had blasted in the wall from earlier. She looked back at the room, feeling awkward she apologized. "I'm sorry for the mess."

Her hair blowing in the wind, wings of pure white light. She looked very much like a fallen angel. Vegeta managed to stand, he tried to make his way towards her but stumbled. Kakarrot caught him. He growled a warning which the other foolish Saiyan ignored. Just as it looked like she was going to fly off and leave him, to their bewilderment they saw Professor Briefs run up and toss what looked like a hockey puck on her back.

The girl screamed and her body lit up like a Christmas tree. She collapsed forward through the hole and Vegeta drew upon every last ounce of energy to get to her. He caught her hand as he braced against the remains of the wall. His body straining to maintain both of their weights. He wasn't going to let her go. Not again, never again.

Goku came up behind him. Grabbing them both and pulling them back into the room. Vegeta fell onto his back with the girl landing on top of him. Her long hair spread across her face as she was unconscious. Vegeta put an arm across her back. No one moved for a few minutes until Professor Briefs dared to speak up.

"Robots all have one weakness. EMP. Electromagnetic Pulse. I have made a small device that is meant to stop robots that have gone out of control." He rubbed his chin as he shook his head. "I never would have thought that I'd be using it on my own daughter." He patted Goku on the back. "Help me move her so she won't be a danger to herself or others."

Goku obeyed lifting her up off of Vegeta. He gently slung her over his shoulder. The professor motioned to Goku to follow him out of the room. Goku obeyed turning back to look at Vegeta still lying on the floor. He smiled at Vegeta reassuringly. Vegeta didn't move; he just stared after the girl who looked like Bulma as she slept on Goku's shoulder. He was still on the floor about an hour later as he heard the patter of tiny bare feet. A little boy with violet hair peered around the corner. His blue eyes searching in the darkness for what may have caused all that noise earlier.

"Don't just stand there boy, come in." He heard his son approach. The kid was rubbing at sleepy eyes. He carried a brown teddy bear. Vegeta felt a twinge in his heart. It was the bear that she had given him before she disappeared. The boy came closer to Vegeta, doing his best to avoid the glass still on the floor. Vegeta grabbed his son with his tail and settled him on his chest. The boy reached out and hugged his father. His eyes already closing against the warm heat from his dad's chest. Vegeta layed there, he felt for the tiny vial the girl had given him. It had fallen nearby when he went to grab her.

He didn't know if he could trust her or not so he chose to put the vial in his pocket for now. His energy was already mostly recovered anyway. The boy whimpered against the chill of the lab and Vegeta sat up. In one quick motion he was standing with the boy still clinging to his chest. He carried his son back to his room, settling him in his bed. He looked around to make sure the room was secure before running a hand through Trunks's hair. He shut the door behind him and strolled down the hall.

He found his way to the basement of the building by searching for Kakarott's ki. He walked into the room not sure what he expected to find. Kakarott was leaning with one foot against the wall, his arms crossed. Professor Briefs was standing in front of a metal enclosure. He deduced from the way it glowed that it must be a holding cell. Professor Briefs moved out of his way so that he could stand in front of it. "Faraday cage," he said as if that explained anything.

She was spread out on the bed. One hand behind her by her head, the other hanging off the bed. She had already moved herself to where one leg was uncovered. He frowned as he examined her from outside of the cage. She was thinner than she had been but her hips were just as wide, denoting the childbirth she had gone through. Her large breasts were perkier too. The hat had been removed from her head and her hair was splayed across the pillow. It was a lot longer than he remembered because she always prefered the shorter hairstyles. He felt myriad emotions stir in his chest as he stared at her. No one said anything, they were afraid of what Vegeta might say. As if reading their thoughts, he turned to the professor.

"Is it her?" He tried to keep the sound of hope from his voice but he was sure that he failed miserably. Kakarott turned to the professor, his eyebrow raised at the question as if it was the dumbest one he had ever heard. The professor sighed. Another cigarette hanging from his mouth.

Vegeta sneered, he detested the smell of those things and this room was much smaller than the previous one. "I have to run some tests but yes, I think it could be," he blew out a small ring of smoke. He looked at the two men, "I was thinking about what she had said in the lab. That she was human once and was taken by Dr. Gero. As you both know, Dr. Gero is the one that the kid from the future came to warn us about. Bulma became obsessed about those androids. She wanted to make sure that Vegeta never had to fight them."

Vegeta snorted but the professor continued. "She was researching ways to overcome the androids without anyone getting hurt. Please keep in mind this was right after she had Trunks and I think she didn't want her son to be fatherless." He looked pointedly at Vegeta who just gave him a menacing glare before Dr. Briefs continued, "From the information I've gathered during her disappearance, she had reached out to a Dr. Flappe who had worked with Dr. Gero before he became crazy. I think she was going to meet him when she disappeared." He turned to point to the sleeping girl. "Now I've rigged the cage to drain her energy level but not enough to let it get dangerously low. You are welcome to get close, it is only harmful to androids." He patted Vegeta on the shoulder. "I'll let you know the dna results right away."

Vegeta nodded. Both Kakarott and the professor left him there alone in the room with the girl that looked so much like the woman he once knew. He thought back to when she had kissed him. She had been trying to steal a little of his energy but it had told him a couple of things. If Bulma was still in there, she still desired him and to his amazement, he found he still wanted her too.

Dr. Gero cackled maniacally as he studied the readout. Everything was going according to plan. He would give it some more time after all Android 22 was his greatest creation. He drank a sip of coffee as he propped his feet up. He would let them have their moment. Giving them false hope was just as good as beating them to a pulp. He couldn't wait to snatch that hope away from them. Yes, this was a much better plan.


	3. Chapter 3

Yamcha paced outside the door of the Capsule Corp building. Chi Chi had heard it from Goku that Bulma was back so she did the first thing all women do when promising they'd keep a secret, she told everyone. Krillin, Tien, Master Roshi, Launch, Gohan, Piccolo had all inquired after her (though some did so out of curiosity more than that they actually cared).

He was the first to arrive but didn't want to go in by himself. So here he was pacing outside the door to the building. Luckily he didn't have to wait long as he felt Krillin's energy approaching. Krillin touched down right beside him, "Hey Yamcha, have you been in to see her yet?"  
He shook his head no. "I don't have the courage to go in and see what she has become. I mean how long has it been two/three years? I don't know how I feel about this whole situation."

Krillin laughed nervously, "Yeah, I bet. I mean wow, Bulma is now an android. I wonder if she's still the same Bulma. Well there's only one way to know for sure. Are you ready to go see her?"

Yamcha nodded as they went through the double doors into the Capsule Corp building.

22 didn't know what all the fuss was about. She felt like an animal at the zoo on display for all the curious humans to see. At least the bathroom had some privacy. There were so many people moving in and out of the room that she lost track of them and decided to hang out on the ceiling so she wouldn't have to look at them. Bulma knew she was powerful but couldn't last long due to the continous energy drain but she at least got some amusement when they thought she had disappeared again not realizing they just needed to look up. If only she could get one of those fools to come close to her so she could steal their energy. Maybe she would see the Saiyan prince again. She touched her lips with her fingers as the memory made her blush. He really knew how to kiss.

She sighed as another pair of people came to stand at the cage. These weren't dressed in lab coats as the others had been, instead there was the tall man she had bumped into last night accompanied by a shorter bald man. She briefly wondered if they were there for revenge on her for knocking the tall guy out last night.

"Yo, Bulma!" the short man exclaimed with forced cheer.

She groaned. She was getting really tired of that name. However, she was bored and there was nothing else to do since no one would get near her cage for fear of being attacked. So she decided she might as well talk to them. She hung upside down on the bed, her feet in the air. She did a flip and came to stand next to the bars. She grabbed one bar in each hand and pressed her face against it. "Call me Twenty Two, please. I'm really starting to detest the name Bulma."

Krillin laughed nervously, "Um, ok, 22. So where have you been?"

She looked away as if bored with the question. "I've been in stasis for a little while after I failed my last mission. Dr. Gero was not pleased with me and he had to restructure my programming so to speak."

Yamcha was shocked. She was so cold, so aloof. This was not the adventure hungry ball of spitfire he met in the desert when they were 16. Krillin continued trying to abate the already awkward situation. "Mission? You go on missions now. Since when?"

She sighed as if the conversation wasn't worthy of her time. "Yup my last mission was to kill the son of a rival scientist. The boy was just a baby so I couldn't do it. I was punished severely for that error."

Yamcha felt ice run down his spine. She could kill. His Bulma was a killer now. He felt the ki before he heard the footsteps. Could he really call her his Bulma now that she belonged to someone else?

Vegeta walked through the door but he didn't enter the room fully. Instead he chose to lean against the door frame, his arms crossed. His mouth drawn down in the corner signaling his displeasure.

"Yo Vegeta," Krillin greeted, his hand in the air waiving. When no response came he lowered his hand, sticking it in his pocket.

Yamcha stepped closer. "Are you really Bulma?" he asked hopefully. Despite everything that happened, he wanted it to be true. When they had broken up, she had become his friend. He valued that friendship and he had missed her.

22 smiled seductively. "Do you want to find out? How about a little kiss on the lips for old times sake? Surely you can tell if its really me or not from one little kiss." She batted her long eyelashes at him.

Yamcha grinned stupidly and leaned closer. Before she could kiss him though, he was suddenly knocked into the wall. His body crushed against the hard limestone of the basement. 22 and Krillin blinked several times before looking at a very angry Vegeta.

"Fools. She's playing with you. One kiss and she'll drain all your energy leaving you dead on the floor." His fist was still raised from where he had hit Yamcha.

22 stepped back from the bars, raising a finger to her cheek feigning innocence. She bent forward as she winked at him, "You didn't seem to mind last night."

Vegeta felt the heat rise in his cheeks. He huffed turning his back on the creature. He was not going to be pulled into her game no matter how much she resembled his mate.

Krillin laughed nervously, "Yeah, that's Bulma alright." He turned towards the woman in the cage. "We've all missed you, you know. Me, Goku, Yamcha, and Tru..." Before he could get the last word out, he had joined Yamcha being impaled into the wall.

22 raised an eyebrow. She looked at the Prince whose whole body was shaking but she didn't sense anger. It was something else. He was hiding something from her. Something he didn't want her to know. "What did you do that for? He wasn't doing anything wrong. He was my company!" She scowled at him. She hoped if she could anger him, she could trick him into revealing something.

Vegeta turned on the creature. He was angry. How dare she talk to him like that? Cheap copy. Poor imitation. He stepped closer to the cage. His finger pointed at her. "This is none of your business you fucking toaster."

22 felt her face go red. "Toaster! Toaster! If I get out of here, I'll show you a toaster, monkey boy!"

Vegeta inched closer, his anger taking control of his judgment. "Monkey boy? How dare you call me a monkey boy! I'm the prince of all Saiyans. No one speaks to me this way!"

22 noticed he had gotten closer. If she could just reach out and grab him. She goaded him on trying to entice him closer to the bars. "Oh really? What are you going to do monkey boy? Throw your poop at me?"

Vegeta felt his ki gathering as the anger fueled him. His eyes turned blue and a flash of gold shown in his normally black hair. 22 thought she might have gone too far but he had come closer to the bars; right where she needed him to be. She realized however that she was enjoying herself. There was something exciting in verbally sparing with the Saiyan Prince. As she looked at him, it wasn't in fear. He put his hands on the bars of her cage. "Do you want to find out what I do to people that speak to me that way?"

She reached through the bars, grabbing his arms; securing him against the cage. She kissed him and to her surprise, she had no intention of taking energy from him. She just wanted to feel the press of his hot mouth against hers. He didn't struggle or pull away. He simply let her explore his mouth with hers. She felt him slide his tongue in her mouth and she yielded to him.

When Vegeta didn't feel his energy being drained he was confused. Isn't that why she wanted him this close? Isn't that why she wanted to kiss him again? He admitted she was smart, bringing his anger to a boil, forcing him closer to her. But when she kissed him, all his defenses dropped. He thought nothing of the danger she posed to him; he only wanted to taste her again.

They jumped back from each other when another strong Ki approached. Goku appeared in the room. Chichi's arms around his neck. He looked at both Bulma and Vegeta standing there guiltily and smiled at them. "Good to see you two getting along again!"

22 crossed her arms and looked away as Vegeta turned to walk out of the room. Goku noticed Yamcha and Krillin still in the wall and laughed. "What are you guys doing there?" He walked over to them leaving Chichi to stand in front of Bulma. He pulled and both men fell out of the wall with a hard thud. They just remained on the ground as the recovered from their injuries.

Chichi ran up to the bars. "Bulma!" she exclaimed happily. "How have you been? We've missed you. You disappeared before you were able to take me to that new shopping center. The one were they have the cafe with deserts shaped like animals!"

"Where's Gohan?" Krillin asked from the floor, still not daring to move.

Goku gave a small laugh, "Well Chichi said he had to study, that he had to become a scholar so he wouldn't be like his good for nothing dad. He's really smart you know, unlike me."

Chichi piped up, "Absolutely. My little Gohan is going to be a doctor or a lawyer or a space explorer! He's definitely going to earn a living. Oh and Bulma," she turned back to her friend, "I've got another son now too. His name is Goten. He's just a year younger than your Trunks."

22 who had been bored with the conversation turned to listen with rapt attention. "My what?" she questioned. Everyone suddenly looked very nervous. Chichi put her hand on her mouth and giggled nervously. "I may have said too much. You obviously don't know. Um, Goku we should be going." She hopped onto Goku's back as he shrugged an apology. Before he could touch his hand to his forehead, Yamcha and Krillin jumped on either side of him, making sure to hold on.

Krillin spoke up, "Bye Bulma, we'll see you later." He looked at Goku, "Ok big guy get us out of here before Vegeta comes back and kills us all." They all shook their heads in agreement as Goku put his fingers up to his forehead, teleporting them out of the holding area. 22 was alone again with her thoughts.

Dr. Gero smiled as he approached another holding tank. The occupant of the tank was giving him the evil eye. "Soon, my creation, soon. I promise I will let you out and you can destroy and rampage to your heart's desire. Your little sister is going to need her big brother." The android flipped Dr. Gero the bird which only caused Dr. Gero to scowl. "So rude number 17. You wonder why I like your sisters better." He leaned heavily on his cane as he walked to the tank next to 17's. "Isn't that right 18?" The beautiful blonde android's response was to flip him off too. He chuckled, "Twins. I should have expected that." He sat down on a chair with wheels and rolled himself over to the monitor. "Just a little more time and then I'll let you retrieve your little sister."


	4. Chapter 4

22 ranted to anyone within ear shot. She was bored, she was thirsty, she wanted new clothes, she wanted to take a shower. For the most part, they ignored her. Pointing out there was a bathroom in the cage. You just had to push on a thing called a capsule to make it appear. It didn't appease her about the clothes as she yelled at everyone who passed by. However, the older man with the purple hair must have been listening because he handed her some different clothes through the bars ordering everyone out of the lab so she could change.

Vegeta had come through at that moment and decided to stick around. He had been coming every day since she had been captured. Since that first time she had made him angry, he hadn't given in to temptation again. He simply sat and watched her as if he was waiting for her to reveal some big secret.

She decided to give him a little show since he wasn't leaving the room. She striped slowly, seductively. Letting him get a full view of her body. She tossed her clothes at him through the bars as she did so. His face was impassive but his eyes never left her. As she bent over the bed to pick up the back shorts and white capsule corp t-shirt, she heard him curse. She smiled. She stayed bent over for a little bit longer and wasn't surprised when she felt him behind her.

He must have deemed the threat assessment low and entered the cage with her. She felt his hand run up and down her spine. She shivered as she felt his breath on her skin. She moved her long hair away from her back so he could explore unimpeded. "What are these?" he asked, his voice low.

She sighed disappointedly, "Neural Energy Transponders (NETs). They are what gives me my energy. They are also what rejuvenates my cells, keeping me young." The blue chips ran from the base of her spine all the way up her neck before disappearing. She had some more on her head but you couldn't see them with all her hair. It was part of the reason she grew it long. If no one looked close, they would just assume it was a beautiful tattoo of a sparkling blue flame.

"Do they hurt?" he asked.

She stiffened. The memory of when they were imbedded painfully came to mind. She had cried for days afterward, hurt was not the correct word to describe what she went through. Dr. Gero had relished every second of pain he inflicted on her and the bastard hadn't wanted it to dull with something like anesthetics. "Not anymore," she replied honestly. She was tired of this conversation and grabbed her white shirt, she started to put it over her head when she felt his lips on her skin.

He was kissing down her back, tracing the flame with his lips. She drew in a sharp breath as a warm fire built between her legs. His hand reached around to cup a bare breast, his thumb tracing around her nipple. She moaned. She felt his tongue dip in the crevice of her lower back, his hands coming down to grab her hips. She leaned forward against the bed, her legs spread wide, granting him further access. She felt his fingers rub against her opening, roughly touching her sensitive nub.

Vegeta didn't know what he was doing in here with her. When he saw the tiny blue dots surgically embedded in her back, he had to know what had happened to her. Her answer didn't satisfy him nor did the quiver to her voice. He wanted to take her fear away, to wash away the bad memories that haunted her. The dna had confirmed that this was indeed his Bulma. He had told everyone who left the lab to stay out for a while. He made sure he had locked the door. He had had no intention of fucking her, merely to question her or so he told himself. His body however had other plans.

He let a finger enter her. She was so wet. He teased her then, moving his finger in and out slowly. Her hips moved with the rhythm of his thrusts. She was growing extremely frustrated. She was not some weak little girl who wanted to take things slow, she was a warrior who wanted to be fucked so hard she couldn't walk. She pulled away from him. He raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. She yanked him into a long smouldering kiss, her hands reaching into his pants, grabbing him roughly. He growled but didn't move.

She stroked him, surprised to find he was already so hard. She got down on her knees and freed him from his pants. He was huge. She looked up at him, her light blue eyes meeting his unreadable black ones; though she thought she saw some fire in the darkness. She took him in her mouth. Vegeta moaned as she worked her wicked tongue over his length. He grabbed a handful of her hair as she sucked on him. He felt like his legs were going to give out. Was she always like this? This wild and uninhibited?

He pulled her up by the hair when he couldn't take it anymore. She drew him close, kissing his jaw up to his ear where she said in a lusty tone, "Fuck me" before she bit down hard. Vegeta responded by shoving her against the wall. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he forcefully entered her with one thrust of his hips. He paused while she pulled his shirt off running her hands down his back. He started fucking her roughly then. This was no easy love making but a primal passion being played out.

"Harder. That's it," she said as he fought for control. She licked the ear she had bitten earlier before moving her attention to his mouth. His kisses were wild and hungry. It was like he had been thirsty all his life and tonight he was going to drink his fill. She pulled back long enough to whisper against his lips "I want to feel you come." It was the husky whisper that did it for him. He felt himself let go. She gave into her own orgasm as her body squeezed his tightly. He held her like that for a moment, not wanting to let her go. She rubbed his back her hands trying to soothe the beast within him.

He was panting hard and she was sure she was going to have some bruises on her back. He kissed her on the shoulder as she unwrapped herself from him, her feet sliding down to the floor. "Wow," she said, "no wonder they made you the Prince of all Saiyans." He snorted but didn't correct her. She walked over to the bed and put on her clothes. The tight white Capsule Corp t-shirt showing off her large perky breasts. The shorts she put on were so indecently short they could almost be called underwear. He really wanted to go again but they needed to talk first.

Seems she was thinking the same thing. "Who am I to you?" she asked as she settled on the bed. She had one leg stretched out and she bent the knee on the other as she leaned back against the wall.

He didn't know what to say. They hadn't been together very long when she had disappeared. He hadn't realized how much he missed her until she was gone. She was waiting expectantly for an answer. What should he say? Lover? Mother of his child? Possible soul mate? He shook his head at the last one. He settled for something lame and non-committal. He cursed himself for being a coward as he responded, "a friend."

She raised her eyebrow. "Just a friend, huh?" She smiled broadly. "We must have been pretty good friends if you've fucked me like that before."

Truth was it hadn't been like that. He remembered when they first had sex. She had held him close, clinging to him as they made love in her bed. It had been gentle because she was human and he was afraid of hurting her. This was something else entirely. When he didn't respond she continued talking.

"I'm sorry that your friend is gone. I'm not her. I'm sure some part of her remains in me but it's buried beneath the horror of a mad scientist's programming. I would like to be your friend though before I die, you seem lonely and tormented. That breaks my heart." She looked away from him then.

"You're dying?" he asked, an ache forming in his chest.

"You could call it that. See I'm programmed to fulfill a mission. There are these tiny little bugs called nanites in my brain. If I don't complete the mission within 30 days those nanites will explode causing my brain to be destroyed. I don't know anyone who can survive without a brain, do you?" She looked at him and a small smile was on her face. "Though if my death will piss Dr. Gero off, then it will be well worth it."

"I don't know, Kakarrot has been surviving just fine without a brain all these years," he then had a more serious tone as he asked, "How many days do you have left?"

"Well it depends on how many days I've been here but if I had to guess, I'd say 20 to 21 days remaining." She counted on her fingers. He had to stifle a grin because he didn't know if she knew that was an old habit of hers.

"What's your mission?" he asked, though he suspected he knew the answer.

"I'm supposed to kill Professor Briefs," she didn't blink, pause or stutter.

He raised an eyebrow surprised by her answer, "You know he's your father right?"

She looked pensively at him. "Dr. Gero is a sick bastard, isn't he? What kind of man would send someone's daughter to kill her own father? I wonder what reason he would have to target such a sweet little old man."

Vegeta knew but he wasn't going to tell her. Professor Briefs had been working on anti-android technology. Stuff that would cripple them in a fight, just like the round EMP device he had used on her earlier. That would be a serious blow to Dr. Gero's plans. He must have learned of it years ago and kidnapped Bulma in a sort of sick revenge scheme. The thought of what had been done to Bulma made Vegeta growl.

Sensing the hostile atmosphere, 22 tried to change the subject. "So what else can you tell me about this Bulma chick?"

He blinked, "I'm not the one you should be asking. Try one of your friends that just left. I only knew her for a brief time."

She smirked, "And yet you fucked her? Presumably with no strings attached."

Vegeta's face heated. "I think we're done here," he said as he turned to go back out the cage.

"Ah, there were strings weren't there? You loved her. Maybe it didn't happen all at once, maybe you didn't even realize it while she was here, but you loved her all the same," she stated calmly as if it were fact and not pure speculation. Vegeta paused. He recalled the last time he saw her. She was standing there next to her car. It was a bright sunny day and his eyes hurt from the light reflecting off her vehicle.

"You don't have to go. I'm going to defeat the androids in one hit when I become a super saiyan. They won't last long enough to kill me." It was the old argument, the one that they had been having just about every day since their son was born.

She was looking off into the distance. "I'm not going to let my son grow up without a father, Vegeta." She looked at him then, "Even if his father is you." Her tone was teasing but there was some underlying sadness, a desperation he hadn't noticed until he had replayed it in his head. "Look, I'll be back in a few days. There's enough food in the house to feed an army of Saiyans." She walked towards him, her smile trying to be reassuring. She touched his arm, he jerked it back. She look hurt but didn't say anything. She quickly kissed him on the cheek. "Try to spend some time with your son. He needs his father too." She didn't look back as she quickly hopped into her car. A small wave out the window to let him know she was off and then she was gone. Never to be seen again until now.

"Did you look for her?" 22's voice interrupted his thought.

He felt his chest ache and reflexively reached a hand up to calm himself. "Yes. When she didn't come home after she said she would. When we contacted everyone she knew and no one had seen her. By then, it must have been too late." He hated himself for that. He was so angry with himself for months afterwards. His son would grow up without a mother just because he couldn't admit to her or anyone else how he felt about her.

"What did you do?" She was interrogating him. She was opening up old wounds and filling them with salt.

"Kakarrot's brilliant idea was to try using the dragon balls to find her. They didn't work. You/she must have been remade by then. The being known as Bulma did not exist anymore. So I used the wishes to get what I wanted. I brought back the Saiyans and planet Vegeta. I also established my Saiyan kingdom here on Earth." He shrugged as if it were all inconsequential.

Her mouth hung open. He had loved her. When he couldn't get her back, he had needed to fill the void by surrounding himself with his own people. It was obvious he never gave up hope of finding her. Why else would he establish a base on a planet with no strategic value so far from his own home world?

The silence stretched out until it became awkward but neither would say anything. Her energy was dangerously low, so she swung her legs off the bed. He was on guard but he didn't move, just stood there between her and the exit.

"Vegeta, I need your help. I need energy. I promise I won't take a lot, just enough to sustain me. It's getting dangerously low and I'm afraid if I don't get some energy soon, I won't be operational. I don't want to die without being awake for every moment before then." She touched his arm gently.

He nodded. "Just a little," he acquiesced.

She kissed him, taking enough energy from him to keep herself working. It was a lot less than she actually needed but it was better than nothing. Plus, she admitted, she didn't want to hurt the Prince. Somewhere in her soul, she realized she loved him. The part of her that was Bulma wanted to chain herself to him, never letting him go. The part of her that was Android 22 knew the stark reality that awaited them both. She would die and he would be left alone again. It was better if neither formed an attachment. She pulled away from him and slide back to the bed. Her eyes never left him as he walked out of the room, slamming the cage door behind him.

He heard her say something as he left the lab, "Goodnight my Prince, parting is such sweet sorrow." If she only knew how much sorrow he felt.


	5. Chapter 5

22 paced in her cage. She hadn't seen anyone in a while. The tall male named Yamcha said he would stop by later with a photo album to remind her of all their good times together. Yippee she thought sarcastically. More reminders of the woman she used to be.

She was trying to balance a pencil on her nose that she had managed to pilfer from a lab assistant. She was so focused on her endeavor that she didn't hear the pair of feet walk into the room. "What are you doing?"

She faltered as a tiny voice spoke to her; the pencil, suddenly neglected, falling to the ground. A small boy of maybe three or four was standing in front of the cage. He had his arms crossed with his face was in a confused frown. He reminded her of someone.

"I'm bored. I'm just trying to entertain myself," she stated.

"Are you a criminal?" he asked. "Only criminals go in cages."

"I guess you could say that I need to be locked up," she replied. She was amused how straightforward this kid was. She decided she liked that.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"Nothing, yet. But I may do something bad here real soon," she winked at him as she spoke.

"Like what?" he asked.

Ok, so maybe she didn't like how straightforward the kid was. It was getting harder to answer with him looking at her with such an earnest face.

"Um, like eat little boys who ask too many questions!" she did her best vampire impression. Her tongue licking her lips.

The boy looked unfazed, "You can't do anything to me cause my dad will pummel you into the ground."

She raised an eyebrow, "Oh, I'm so scared! Whoever your dad is, I'm sure I can take him."

The kid laughed, "A girl? A girl could never defeat my dad. He's the Prince of all Saiyans. He's the strongest warrior in the universe!" He held up his arms in two little fists for emphasis.

"Oh yeah..." she started to speak, "wait, what? Your dad is Vegeta?"

"Yeah. Do you know him?" His eyes were shining with pride.

"We've met," she smiled softly at him. Now that she looked at him, she could see the resemblance. "Where's your mom?" she asked. She noticed he didn't have a tail and that most other Saiyans she had seen had black hair not purple. She figured his mother had to at least be half human.

The boy looked sad and she regretted asking him, "She's gone. We don't know where she went."

22 reached out and patted the boy on the head. "It's OK. You don't have to tell me about her if it makes you sad."

He shook his head but didn't pull away from her. "Dad says she was beautiful and funny and smart. Like really smart. She and grandpa built this whole complex. By the time she was my age, she was riding motorcycles and flying space ships."

22's whole body went into shock. This complex was built by Professor Briefs, her father. If he was the boy's grandfather then this had to be her/Bulma's son. She bent down pulling the boy against the bars trying to hug him. Tears filled her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She felt guilt and remorse. How could her other self ever left him behind?

Trunks felt a little awkward with this stranger hugging him. The metal bars were cold against his skin but he didn't pull away. The strange woman was crying and Uncle Yamcha said you should always comfort a crying woman. Besides she smelled familiar and didn't seem like a bad person even if she was in a cage. He reached in between the bars and patted her cheek, "There, there. Don't cry. It's OK."

She stepped back releasing the boy to wipe her eyes. "You're right. It's OK. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

A clearing of someone's throat interrupted the conversation. She looked up to see Vegeta in the doorway. She stepped further back away from the bars and the boy to signal she was no threat to him. He walked into the room, his voice was harsh when he spoke to the boy. "What are you doing in here?"

The boy shrugged, "I was looking for Grandpa. Grandma said he would be down here."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. He didn't know if that old woman was the dumbest person he had ever met, or the craftiest of them all. He frowned, "He's not here obviously. If you go finish your homework, we'll train later in the gravity room." The boy's face lit up. He nodded and proceeded to fly out of the room.

As soon as they were alone, he felt the anger build. "Don't talk to him again," he commanded. The steel in his voice promising destruction if she went near their son again.

She didn't say anything. She just sat back down on the bed. After more than a minute of silence, she said, "There were strings after all." She didn't look at him. She just sat on the bed, one foot hanging off of it.

Suddenly Goku appeared in front of her with that fool Yamcha. "I brought the book, B! You're going to love some of these pictures."

"Fantastic," she said sarcastically. "You know what I could really use?" She moved towards the edge of the cage. She pouted her lips. "I really could use a kiss. Just a little one."

She licked her lip seductively as she rubbed herself against the bars. She did a little suggestive hip movement and Yamcha grinned at her stupidly. He took a step forward before he felt the ominous presence directly behind him.

"Don't even think about it weakling, she'll suck you dry and leave your corpse on the floor without any remorse." Vegeta said. His lip was curled in a snarl as he saw Bulma blow a kiss at him.

"He just wants to be the only one I suck dry," she said, giggling at the shocked faces of the men in the room. All the men turned bright red, especially the Saiyan Prince's. Well, well that was interesting, she mentally noted.

"How about instead of living in memory lane you let me out of here so I can get some exercise? I feel the need to punch something repeatedly." She tucked a strand of long blue hair behind her ear. "What do you say?"

Goku smiled. "Sure! I never did get to fight you. I'd love to see how strong you've gotten Bulma."

Vegeta grabbed Kakarrot by the shirt, "Are you crazy? She could get away! Or worse, she could get a hold of you and steal all your energy when you leave an opening."

Goku shrugged, "Come on Vegeta. Don't you want to fight her again too?"

Vegeta was tempted by the thought but the risk was too great.

"Look, if you all are worried about me trying something I can tell you that I've got no where else to go. I mean my target is here. I really don't want to go back to that Dr. Gero bastard so why don't we have some fun." She smiled at them. She hoped it was enough to convince them.

"Fine," Vegeta said, turning to Kakarott, "if she escapes, I'm holding you responsible."

Goku bowed in front of Vegeta. "Of course!"

"Hey guys, now that we've got that settled. How about I get some new battle clothes? Also, since I don't want anyone to get hurt why don't we move this out to the Arena?" She suggested. "Plus, I hate to say it guys but I'm really weak right now. I have to get my energy from someone. If Goku is going to fight, then Vegeta it will have to be you."

Yamcha folded his arms over his chest, he looked perturbed. "I'm not fighting either, why can't it be me?" He asked.

"As Vegeta just pointed out, you don't really have a lot of energy and honestly, if I have the choice, I'd rather kiss him," she pointed to Vegeta. Vegeta smirked pridefully.

"Even when she doesn't know who she is, she still picks him," Yamcha grumbled under his breath.

22 bristled, "What was that? Come here closer and say that you little punk!" She reached her hand through the bars stopping just shy of Yamcha's shirt.

He jumped back. Hands raised in apology. "Nothing! Nothing! Seriously nothing. Sheesh! Are you sure you're not Bulma?"

She felt herself snap, her power building around her. Electricity crackling in the air. Her wings extending out. Yamcha felt terrified at the power threatening to destroy him. He backed up slowly. Her hair was swirling all around her face. The light that was pouring off of her was so bright that it made the rest of the room seem incredibly dark.

Vegeta wasn't afraid. He stepped forward opening the cage door. He felt the raw power in the room and it tasted like heaven to him. She looked at him. Her anger needing an outlet, she raised a hand to Vegeta. He knocked it aside easily. She stepped closer until she was toe to toe with him.

"If you don't like the name you were given, why don't we give you a new one?" He suggested, "Instead of Bulma which brings you pain and confusion. Instead of 22 which is like a "now serving" number. Why don't we choose a new name for you?" Her face still held anger but her head tilted in curiousity. He continued, his hand gently touching her face. "I think your new name should be Angel." He kissed her then; slowly and sensuously. He felt the familiar tingle as his energy drained but he didn't let go.

She became giddy as his power flowed into her. It was so addictive. Angel. He had named her Angel. Angels were both frightful and beautiful, fierce and gentle, dark and light combined. Angel. She liked it. It suited her. She took more of his power as his kiss deepened. It was so good. She held him closer to her. More, more, more. Take more, a voice in her head said.

She broke the kiss and jumped away from him. The voice in her head sounded like Dr. Gero. She raised a hand to her head and screamed as pain filled her. "I'll be monitoring you the whole time," he had said. She was resisting him, disobeying him. His reach was far. He was punishing her again.

Vegeta caught her as she fell to her knees. His arms holding hers to keep her upright as she dug her fingers into her hair. She screamed.  
"Whatever it is, fight it," he yelled at her. "I've never known you to cower before anyone. Fight it now!"

She concentrated. Could she turn off her NETs? If she did it only briefly, it might disrupt his long distance connection to her. She wouldn't be able to move much but it would be worth it to stop this pain. She closed her eyes, using her mind to enter her own neural network. She was basically hacking herself. She quickly wrote some code, hoping it would be enough to shut her down temporarily. She felt the locks give way. In her mind, she was there fighting blocks of code that were trying to destroy her. She evaded them as she sent out contradicting code from her hands to break the blocks. "Fight, damn it!" she heard Vegeta's voice say.

She destroyed a few more blocks. The pain was lessening. There was a master code block in front of her. She took a couple of shots at it. It didn't budge. She floated around it. A backdoor, programmers always left themselves a back door. She entered it and was instantly surrounded by white light. "I'll help you," a woman's voice said. The white light turned to blue then yellow and the pain was gone. There was a figure standing in the white light. She reached out to it. The figure mimicked her pose. Their fingers almost touched. Then she was back and laying in Vegeta's arms.

His unemotional face showed her everything. His pain, his fear, and was that love? Did he love her? No, it was Bulma he loved, she reminded herself. "Angel?" he asked.

"Hey tough guy, I'm here," she smiled at him but winced with the effort. She ran her fingers through his spikey hair. He buried his face in her hair, his breath was heavy against her.

"I'm going to kill him, wish him back to life, then kill him again," Vegeta promised.

She looked over at Yamcha. "Did you hear that? That is why he gets to kiss me. And this is why later we are going to fuck so loud the whole city is going to need to buy ear plugs!"

She felt Vegeta smile against her, "Vulgar woman" was all he said. He moved her over to the bed and laid her down gently. He walked across the small room to the control panel on the other side. He pushed a button. The energy field surrounding the cage disappeared. She sighed contentedly as the continuous draining of her energy finally halted.

"Thank you Vegeta," she said, her eyes closing.

"Goku," she said sleepily, "we'll fight later today, I promise. I'm just going to rest my eyes for a few minutes."

"Alright, Bulma...I mean Angel...sounds like fun. I'll be back later then," he touched his forehead and vanished. Yamcha panicked. "Goku, don't leave me!" he said but it was too late.

Vegeta stalked over to him, cracking his knuckles. "Why don't you and I have a chat about how you address my woman?" Yamcha gulped.  
"Bulma, are you going to let him do this to me?" Yamcha petitioned.

"Go," she yawned, "get him Vegeta," she said sleepily.

Vegeta's smirk transformed into a malicious grin. "As you wish," he said.

He grabbed Yamcha by the neck, hurtling him out the door where he crashed into another wall. "After you," he said.

Angel sighed, "Try not to damage the place? I'm sure the professor," she yawned again, "doesn't want Yamcha sized holes all over his building."

Vegeta snorted, "Don't worry, there won't be anything left to make holes when I'm done with him." Yamcha peeled himself out of the impression he made on the wall and started slowly crawling away.

Dr. Gero slammed his fist on the control panel. Damn that woman! He tossed some papers across the room. The effort renewed his coughing spell and he spent a few moments gasping for breath. Her defiance of him was going to end!

He hobbled over to the two tanks. He pushed a few buttons on them and the liquid began draining. "It's time for a family reunion. Go get your wayward sister and bring her to me at once."

"And if we fucking don't?" the male android responded, defiance in his tone.

Dr. Gero sighed, "Need I remind you both of the nuclear bombs in your chest? If you want to live, then bring her to me. She needs to be taught a lesson about who is the superior being."

"It's definitely her. Women are always superior to men," the female android interrupted. She had finished getting dress and was admiring herself in a particularly shiny panel of machinery.

Dr. Gero shaked his fist at her, "Vile creature. You are lucky I haven't destroyed you both yet."

She rolled her eyes at him. He raised his cane. "Now both of you, get out of my sight." He limped back to his chair in front of the computer. He didn't bother to look as they both took off. He typed a few buttons on the computer. The coordinates for their target was sent electronically to them. He chuckled. It wasn't all as he planned but it was working out well. If Goku was distraught over what his friend had become, then imagine how devastated he would be once he did the same thing to Goku's wife.


	6. Chapter 6

The afternoon sun beat down upon the empty arena as the combatants took the field. Vegeta was sitting on the sidelines for once. He was thankful to sit down as his energy had been thoroughly drained. In more than one way, Vegeta smirked at the thought. She had made good on her earlier promise. It had certainly been loud.

His amusement was evident as he watched her stretch. He thought she was doing it for show as she had certainly been limber enough about an hour before. Goku was warming up directly opposite of her. A big goofy grin plastered to his face.

"You ready, Angel?" he yelled from across the arena.

"Depends. Are you ready to kick your butt kicked all around this town?" she taunted.

He smiled. They started walking towards each other, stopping in the center of the arena. Goku was dressed in his orange gi while she wore a one piece black suit that looked similar to Vegeta's blue one.

Angel looked around the arena. Goku's family was in the stands cheering him on. He had some cute kids. Next to his family were Trunks and Vegeta. She waived to them and felt her heart ache as little Trunks waived back.

She had to stifle a laugh as she saw Yamcha on the other side of the stadium. Vegeta had beaten him good. Goku had been forced to go to Karin for some sensu beans just for him to be able to stand. Piccolo was here too for some reason. She paused. How did she know his name was Piccolo? She'd never met him before today, had she? She shook her head.

Krillin was standing next to them. He volunteered to officiate the fight. He looked more like he was ready to officiate a football game than a fight with him dressed as a referee. "There's a 30 minute time limit. The first fighter to score five direct hits to the opponent wins. Are you ready?" Goku got into his fighting stance. Angel just stood there.

Krillin put his arm between the two. "Ready?" he asked. They nodded. "Then, FIGHT!" he shouted. They sped at each other. Angel getting in the first hit to Goku's stomach temporarily knocking the air from his lungs and sending him flying backwards. Vegeta snickered a little but kept his eyes on the fight.

Goku flew back fast towards her, trying to sweep Angel's legs from her but she was slightly faster. She jumped up, spinning in the air and kicked towards his head. This time he was ready for her and blocked it. She responded with an uppercut to his chin but he blocked that as well. She noticed he was on the defensive. "Goku, it's OK. You're not going to hurt me," she said to him sensing what the heart of the matter was.

Goku laughed. "Sorry, Angel. I forgot you are strong now." His face turned serious. He started a burst of hits. She was able to dodge but just barely. The extra energy she had taken from Vegeta was enough for her to release a little more of her power. She increased her speed, blurring her movement from Goku's eyes. She came behind him about to attack his back with a strong punch. Goku smiled, he phased out before her leaving her lurching forward. He was behind her suddenly and with a spin kicked her clear across the arena. She landed in front of Vegeta. He frowned, "Get going woman, we haven't got all day." She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

He wiped it off with his arm. "Don't try your sneak attacks on me, your opponent is over there!" He pointed to Goku. She winked before flying back to the center of the arena. She had her arm raised as she flew at Goku. He blocked her punches before returning one of his own knocking her off balance.

Vegeta growled. He thought about stepping in when explosions fell around the two. They jumped back separating from each other, lowering their arms in confusion as they both looked up at the giant hole in the domed arena. Krillin dropped the whistle from his mouth. It continued to hang open as he stared at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She carried an air of boredom. She ignored his staring, choosing instead to move stray strands of hair out of her face. She was dressed in a form fitting black long sleeved shirt that had red ribbon emblazoned on the top corner. She wore black tights underneath a black skirt. Her black boots had red ribbons on the side with big chunky heels.

Next to her stood a man with his arms crossed over his chest. He had jet black hair and a huge smirk on his face. He was dressed all in black except for a red bandana around his neck. On the back of his black shirt was a red ribbon logo. The girl tapped him on the arm and pointed to his black tennis shoes. He paused for a moment to tie them, giving her a mocking look as he stood back up. He turned his attention back to the fighters below.

His smile broadened. He called out to the blue haired girl down below, "Hey little sis, aren't you going to introduce us to your friends?" br / Angel stood there indecisively. She had to play this cool or these two would kill everyone here without even breaking a sweat. Her thoughts were interrupted by Vegeta's loud voice shouting, "Who the hell are you?"

17 raised an eyebrow at the man but didn't acknowledge his statement. Instead he continued to focus on Angel. "Now sis, the crazy doctor has sent us to fetch you home. You know you need to come with us. Surely you don't want us to get blown up, do you?"

She brought out her wings and floated up to meet him. "If I go with you, do you promise to leave everyone here unharmed?"

17 put his hand to his chest. He circled around her as he spoke, "You wound me that you think so little of me after all the time we spent together. How many times have I saved that cute little ass of yours?" He grabbed her, pulling her tight against his chest. He leaned in close. "Do you need some energy little sis? I could give you all you could handle and more." He kissed her then, transferring some of his abundant energy to her.

"It's just a Luke-Leia kiss, right?" Krillin joked in a failed attempt to ease the tension.

"Nah, looks more like a Han-Leia kiss," Gohan said as he came to stand beside Krillin.

With some effort, Angel pushed 17 away. It was right in time to see Vegeta come flying at the man landing a punch that knocked 17 into his sister and sent the pair clear across the sky. Angel had a moment where she wanted to say "Team Rocket Blasting off again" but thought better of it when she saw Vegeta's face. She looked at him in surprise. Vegeta's hair had changed color. It was shimmering gold and his eyes were blue now. He was beyond pissed to a new level of indefinable anger.

"Don't you fucking touch my woman, you toaster!" he yelled.

"Blonde looks good on you," she said, practically purring in his ear.

He rounded on her, "And what are you doing kissing that guy?"

"It didn't mean anything, I promise!" she raised her hand in a girl scout salute. "Scout's honor. I think we have already established what an asshole Dr. Gero is. He purposely designed me to only take energy through my lips to further degrade me."

She crossed her arms against her chest. "I would compare 17 to Loki the God of mischief. He was just trying to start something. Speaking of which, incoming..." she backed away from Vegeta as 17 came flying at them to land a punch on Vegeta's jaw.

Vegeta and 17 engaged themselves in combat while Angel blocked 18 from joining in. "Back off 22, I'm going to teach this asshole a lesson."

"My name is Angel," she stated as she powered up, "And if you even think of laying a hand on him, I'll hit you so hard that your bad bottle job will fade to black!"

18 powered up, "I'll have you know this is natural!"

Angel smiled at her tauntingly, "Yup, you can keep telling yourself that but the clairol nice and easy bottle says differently."

18 smiled back, "I've always wanted to fight you."

Angel brought her hands up in a fighting stance, "Bring it on, sis! If you've forgotten, I'm programmed for combat the same as you. Except I've got one advantage."

"What's that?" 18 asked.

Angel smiled as her fist met 18's stomach causing her to expel all her air, "I don't need you in one piece."

* * *

Vegeta became momentarily distracted by admiring Angel's fighting style. She was ruthless in her battle, not letting her opponent gain the upperhand and always countered with percise movements designed to exploit her opponent's weakness. 17 noticed Vegeta's distraction and smiled maliciously.

"Oh, so that's it, Vegeta," 17 said tauntingly, "You call me a toaster and you've clearly been fucking my sister over there." He tsked at him chastisingly. He grabbed Vegeta's arms and leaned in closer to whisper to him. "Do you want to know a secret Vegeta?" Vegeta's whole body stiffened as 17 continued.

"22 and I grew particularly close while working together on a few dangerous missions. We even went so far as to go "undercover"on a few occasions.

Between us guys, Vegeta, isn't she the best fuck you've ever h..." 17 didn't get to finish his statement because Vegeta landed a punch square in 17's face that sent him flying into the stands of the arena causing a large section to crumble down on top of him.

Vegeta's rage filled the arena with a heavy red aura as onlookers left the stands to hide in the alcoves under the stairs. Waves of energy rolled off of him as 17 crawled out from under the rubble that covered him completely. He wiped bits of dust and marble from his shirt as he smiled at Vegeta. "Well, well, looks like I struck a nerve. Imagine that."

Caught up in her own fight, Angel only took notice of Vegeta and 17 when she felt the latter's energy suddenly skyrocket. Her distraction allowed for 18 to land a nasty kick to Angel's left shoulder popping it from its joint. She bit back the urge to scream. She would not be weak, not now, not in front of the man she loved. Loved? Where did that come from?

18 would not give her time to think on her sudden revelation as she charged her again, aiming to disable her leg. Angel blocked at the last moment, the pain in her arm slowing her movements and causing excrutiating agony. 18 smirked at her baby sister.

"I thought you would put up more of a fight than this 22. You're making this too boring," she moved a piece of hair away from her face as she looked down upon her former ally. "I can't believe I'm actually starting to feel sorry for you. Look, if you give up now, we will spare everyone here. After all, our orders are only to retrieve YOU. Don't make me break you first."

Angel considered her offer. If she left now, Vegeta and the others would be fine but she would probably suffer a fate worse than death. Gero would certainly be displeased with her tiny rebellion against him. He would not forgive her for temporarily thwarting him by turning off her NETs. He would most certainly shut her down again. Reprogram her into something worse than what she was now. He could make her into an unmerciful killing machine or into some rich man's play toy. She involuntarily shuddered in revulsion.

As she considered her fate, a large shadowed flew down to land between her and 18. The tall man had bright orange hair that was shaved bald on the sides of his head. His menacing appearance and large muscles concealed a gentle nature known only to a few. According to Dr. Gero, it was android 16's greatest flaw.

Angel thought quickly. If Gero was sending 16, then he meant serious business. 16 took his orders literally and would not stop until he got what he wanted. Angel thought the best tactic maybe to stall.

"16, what are you doing here?" she asked, her eyes darting around to make sure there were no other unwanted visitors. The last thing she needed was for Dr. Gero to active 19 or even 21.

"22. How nice to see you today. Father has sent me to retrieve you so that you may undergo maintenance." The android moved closer to her, holding out his hand to her.

18 fumed. This was mission was for her and 17. What the hell! "16, get out of the way. I'm bringing 22 home. Just return to Dr. Gero and tell him we'll be there shortly."

16 shook his head. "I cannot. Father said 22 must come with me immediately or I am to destroy this whole area. I must say that I am not in agreement with father's methods but I must obey him."

As the two conversed, Angel saw something purple flash in the corner of her eyes. Oh no! No, no, no, no, no! Shit! No. Bulma's son must have snuck out here for some reason. Whether it was to play or he had gotten wind of the fight, she didn't know. She had to get out of here. She had to distract them so they wouldn't notice the boy. He was buy himself. The short bald man and the one called Yamcha were too far away and cowering to even notice the boy on his own.

Panic filled her. She had to think fast. Using the element of surprise to her advantage, she springboarded off 16 like some demented game of leap frog and brought her feet towards 18's head. As expected, 18 blocked allowing Angel to propel herself over her two opponents towards the opening in the dome. She looked back at them, the challenge clearly written in her matching sky blue eyes. She concentrated a sudden burst of energy through her wings sending her further out away from her adversaries.

18 screamed at her to stop running away. Angel knew that 18 would definitely take the bait but 16 just stared at her as if she were the most perplexing creature in the world. She only hoped that 18 would drag him along. After all, he was like a big brother to them all. And this big brother always listened to his little sisters. Angel turned her back to them as she sped past the city like lightening through the sky. She had to get them to a more remote area; a place where she could minimize the damage and any casualties that may accidentally get in their way.

Vegeta watched as 18 followed Angel away from the dome. Where was that woman going now? 17 watched the commotion and smiled. If little sister wanted to play tag, then they would play tag. He saluted Vegeta as he flew off after the two other female androids with android 16 close behind him.

Vegeta shot a few ki blasts after him narrowly missing each time. He started to go after them when Kakarrot flew up next to him. "Vegeta, we need a plan. We can't beat them unless we work together."

"I don't need your help weakling," he groused at the foolish Saiyan.

"They are going to take her away again. Do you want that Vegeta? Do you want her to disappear forever?" Goku implored. "Can't you see what she's doing? She's protecting you. She's protecting everyone. She's luring them away from the city so no one gets hurt. Whoever she may be now, Bulma is still in there. She's a part of Angel. I can sense her there and I know you can too. Right now, Angel may not realize it but the part of her that is Bulma is doing everything to protect her friends."

"Tch." Vegeta crossed his arms in front on him.

Encouraged Goku continued, "We need to contact King Vegeta and have him send the strongest of the Saiyan army that he has stationed in this quadrant."  
"Tarble? That's your answer? You want me to run to my brother for help?" Vegeta almost snorted with derision but thought better of it.

"I believe he calls himself King Vegeta." Goku corrected.

"I don't care what he calls himself. I'm not going to go begging him for help." Vegeta snarled.

"It's not just for you. It's for Angel. It's not weakness to need someone Vegeta. And let's face it," he said, a dopey grin on his face, "you need her. Like it or not."

Vegeta thought over his words.

"Look all I'm saying is, it wouldn't hurt to go in with a little backup!" Goku then winked at Vegeta much to the prince's ire.

"Who did you have him mind?" Vegeta acquiesced.


	7. Chapter 7

Angel swatted away a ki blast aimed for her head while she flew further out from the city.

"Hold still so I can hit you," 18 said furiously.

"As if!" Angel replied over her shoulder. For some reason she couldn't explain, she had a smile on her face. She was enjoying this all too much. She suspected 18 was feeling the same way. They had all been kept in Gero's lab too long since their last mission. No matter the circumstances, they were reveling in this slight brush with freedom.

Another blast came zooming past, a warning shot but not from 18. Angel pulled up short as the mountain in front of her exploded bits of debris in her face. She protected her face with her arms as dust covered her body. She coughed as she lungs filled with the particles floating in the air.

This momentary diversion was all the time Android 16 needed to make his move. He was suddenly in front of her and with a single punch from his large fist he managed to knock her into the ground below.

"I am sorry, 22. I don't want to hurt you but I must return you to father," the android spoke in a calm manner.

Angel's energy wings dispersed. She picked herself up from the crater just in time for 18 to land a punch to Angel's jaw. She stumbled letting the momentum carry her into a backwards flip that allowed her to connect her foot hard with 18's chin. She followed it up with a low spin kick to sweep the other android's legs out from underneath her. 18 then fell on her butt with an ungraceful "oomph" and angrily fired a ki blast from her hand in return.

Android 16 watched from above. He decided he would step in where needed. He felt a familiar prescense heading towards him and looked up to see Android 17 approaching. A wicked grin spread on the dark haried man's face. "I think we made some new friends today," he said to the red haired android with a nod of greeting. 16 looked at him puzzedly.

"Friends?" he asked.

17 patted him on the shoulder, "It was just a joke big guy." He turned to look at the two women fighting below.

Angel deflected the blast and returned one of her own which 18 was able to easily avoid. Angel bit her lower lip in agitation. This fight was taking too long. She would deplete her energy reserves in no time. Maybe that's their goal, she thought. If they could run her out of energy before she could replenish her reserves, she would be defenseless. She had to be smart about this battle.

"Tch," Angel clicked her teeth. This meant no more ki blasts. She'd have to make every hit count. Despite what she had said to 18 earlier, she really didn't want to damage any of them beyond repair. They had been her friends these last few years. No, they really were more like family. As she dodged kicks and punches from 18, she focused around her. If she could get out of their line of sight, there were enough places for her to hide around here and let things calm down a bit.

Angel didn't know what she was hoping for when she drew them out here away from the city. She was out numbered and if they all decided to gang up on her, then she would be defeated. At least out here, she would be the only one hurt. She feinted right and struck left bringing her elbow down on 18s leg. The blonde screamed in pain and responded with her own elbow on Angel's shoulder.

"Ladies, ladies," 17 said amusedly, "don't you think it's time to stop now?" He turned to look at Angel. "Give it up sis, all you are going to do is end up depleting your energy stores." He floated down close to them as they both paused to hear him out.

Angel was about to surrender when she felt two familiar kis approaching. She swiveled around and fisted her hands at her sides. She couldn't protect them. The fools! What were they doing here? She looked around wildly furious that the idiots had decided to follow her. In the distance rapidly approaching she could make out their forms. The short bald headed man and the tall man with the scars were coming towards them at a rapid pace. She felt tears prick her eyes and wondered what was making her feel so emotional.

She turned back around to her adopted siblings. "Don't hurt them!" she shouted.

17 smiled down at her, "Anything you want sis but I can't guarantee that if they fight, I won't fight back."

Angel activated her wings and flew towards the two men. She put her hand out to them in warning to stop. 18 didn't give her a chance to talk. 18 had joined her hands into one fist and came down on her head as hard as she could, knocking her unconscious. Angel's wings dissolved and she fell out of the sky. Before she had a chance to hit land, Android 16 caught her.

18 mirthless smile greeted 17 as he came to stand beside her to face the new opponents that had showed up. 17 shook his head, "Not cool sis. We wanted her to come willingly. Remember?"

"She started it," 18 pointed out. "I just finished it." She'd never admit to her brother that she did kinda feel bad about the sneak attack.  
Krillin and Yamcha pulled up short when they saw Bulma fall. Her power level had been stronger than theirs combined and she was just defeated. They really had no hope of winning. Krillin turned to Yamcha, "We should leave."

Yamcha's anger was flaring as he powered up, "We can't leave her with them. We'll never get her back. Is that what you want? To never see her again?"

Krillin shook his head, "I have an idea. Just be ready to grab Bulma and keep your back to me."

Yamcha nodded. He knew his friend well enough to trust him.

"I'm so stupid." Krillin muttered to himself.

"Hey Androids! Give us back our friend right now," he yelled at them.

The three androids who before had been caught up in their own conversation now turned their full attention to the new arrivals.  
"She's coming with us," the twins answered simultaneously while Android 16 remained silent.

Yamcha flew towards them while Krillin put his hands to his face. "Solar Flare x 10!" the little man shouted and a blinding light filled the area. It was brighter than the brightest day. All of the androids put their hands up to block their eyes, including 16 who promptly dropped Angel.  
Yamcha was not affected as he had made sure to close his eyes before hand was able to snatch her quickly. He flew back past Krillin and the two of them headed back towards the city.

A red blur zoomed past them. Android 16 was now standing with his arms crossed blocking their path.

"Shit!" Krillin cursed, "Why aren't you affected?"

"Simple," he replied, "I am not a cyborg. All I had to do was reset my optic sensors to overcome the temporary blindness. Now please hand over Android 22 and you will not be harmed."

Yamcha gripped Bulma tighter to his chest. "She is not like you all. She's our friend. We lost her once, we are not losing her again! You can't have her."

Android 16 looked at the two men quizzically. "I will not harm her," he stated flatly.

"Like hell you won't," Yamcha spat back at the robot before them. "Do you know what Gero will do to her if he gets his hands on her? He will erase her very existance. Her personality, her feelings, all gone! That will harm her. She'll forget us. She'll forget you. How can you let him do that to her? Isn't she precious to you?"

Android 16 looked down at the sleeping cyborg in the scarred man's arms. He tilted his head like an animal did when they didn't understand something. He blinked repeatedly as the memories flooded him.

"16 don't move, you're hurt," 22 said as she shielded him from the onslaught of troupes attacking them.

"You do not need to protect me," he told her as he attempted to reattach his arm.

"Don't you understand 16? We are family. You are precious to me. I'm not going to let them hurt you," she had then turned, to reveal her injured back to him. "Stay here," she had said, "I'm going to protect you." She faced the army, powering up to throw herself into the thick of the frey. By the time Androids 17 and 18 had arrived, the entire army lay defeated on the ground but the cost was great. She had nearly died then. He never understood why she had protected him. He always rationalized that it was because she was a cyborg and still had some human component to her.

Now as he stood here watching her two former friends defend her, impossible odds stacked against them, he began to question his father and his mission. For the first time, he hesitated to complete a mission. He knew though that he wouldn't let father erase her. His father could be reasonable at times. Surely, all he would have to do is ask and his father would not harm her. Maybe he would put her back in stasis for a while.

"Dude, that was a cool move," a feminine voice said behind Krillin causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up."Obviously, it was the wrong move, but still a cool move."

"Yeah, I mean, just because you made the sun shine doesn't mean you all get to run off with our sister," the Android 17 chimed in.

Krillin gulped, his voice shaky. If he were going to die, he would at least be honest and say the first thing that came to his mind, "I don't understand why someone as beautiful as you would work for someone as evil as Dr. Gero. "

18's breath caught. This little man had called her beautiful. She turned her head covering her cheek with her hand.

"What do you know about it? How would you like to be told what to do? Having to obey every order because you have bomb stuck in your chest that some psychopath has the red button for!" 17 proclaimed loudly, touching his chest for emphasis. "Do you think this is how I imagined my life going." He clicked his teeth in annoyance. "I don't expect you humans to understand." He put one of his hand out to them. "Come on now, hand her over."

Yamcha looked down at Bulma in his arms. He knew he died in the future fighting the androids for no damn reason. Wouldn't dying for the woman he used to love be a better cause? He smiled, more to himself than to anyone else.

"Catch!" he called as he threw Bulma to red haired Android in front of him. The Android blinked in surprise but caught her deftly. He then flew at the man with a punch to his head. 16 couldn't defend or he would be forced to drop her.

17 became angry as the scarred man attacked the gentle giant, jumping in to try and hit the man from behind. Yamcha barely avoided the kick coming his way. Instead he managed to grab the Android's foot and throw him into his blonde companion.

"Krillin, back me up man!" he said to his petrified man.

Krillin seemed to snap out of whatever spell he was under and nodded. They stood back to back powered up. They had only meant to stall until Goku or Vegeta had arrived but Yamcha had changed the plan. Krillin smirked. He had told Krillin a long time ago that he was over Bulma but Krillin knew that Yamcha may have lost her to Vegeta but the man would never be over Bulma. After all, how many people got over their first love?

The Androids recovered fairly quickly to start a full on fight with the would-be heroes. Yamcha noticed that 16 continued to hold Bulma protecting her from any stray blasts that came her way. He was almost grateful to the android.

Krillin knew if they could just hold out help would come but he saw Yamcha was throwing himself into this fight as if it was his last stand.  
Indeed Yamcha was holding his own as best he could. He knew from the beginning he was outmatched, outnumbered, and overpowered. He managed to land a hit with his wolf fang fist on android 17 who responded to the by delivering a crushing blow to the man's sternum. Yamcha coughed blood, he was having trouble breathing. Still he fought on. His breathing becoming more labored with each blow he received from the android until he finally fell unable to continue on. "Bulma..."he whispered reaching for her as his body plummeted to Earth.

"Yamcha!" Krillin shouted unable to do anything as he now had two androids to contend with instead of one. Krillin's anguished cry finally roused Angel from her unconscious state. She looked up at Android 16 then down at the man whose prone body lay facing her. She didn't know why but her heart wanted to cry. Damn all these stupid emotions that weren't her own. She turned to her siblings who were beating the other man to a bloody pulp.

"Stop! Lapis! Lazuli! Stop!" she cried. "Don't hurt them!"

The twins paused in their battle. 17 held Krillin by the shirt while 18 looked at her stunned. 18 couldn't help but ask, "Those names...where did you learn those names?"

Angel sighed, "I know everything. I know how Gero took you and made you what you are today. Please don't let him take away your humanity as well. If you destroy these men, you are no better than the monster that took your lives for his own twisted purpose."

Angel felt a tear slide down her face. "Please," she cried, "I'll come quietly. These men were my friends from before I was changed. They were just trying to help me. You don't have to hurt them. They won't stand in your way again. They're no match for you now."

Android 16 nodded. "I think it is reasonable that if they cease to engage us further in battle that we shall harm them no more."

Angel hugged him and then slid down from his arms as she moved over to the twins. She reached out her arms for both of them. They just stood there uncomfortably. She embraced them both. "I won't let Gero get away with it, I promise. I don't know how but inside there is a voice telling me we will stop him."

Krillin watched as the androids looked more and more uncomfortable with each passing moment but they didn't try to move away.

"Alright," 17 said, finally removing himself from her hold. He moved a strand of hair behind his ear and patted Angel on the head. "We won't hurt them."

18 shrugged her off as well but not before giving her a quick hug. Yeah she still felt bad about taking her out from behind.

Angel took both of those as signs that all was forgiven. Krillin levitated down to where Yamcha was. Angel waived at him. "Thank you for trying," she said. "Tell Vegeta that I'll be waiting for him to come get me," she then smiled as tears shone brightly in her eyes, "Tell him, there are strings attached."

Krillin nodded as he placed a badly injured Yamcha on his back. He knew they were lucky to be leaving in one piece. He took one last look at the motley crew before he left. He sighed. For once, it would be nice to be on the winning team.

* * *

Dr. Gero stared at the two tanks before him. He knew Android 16 would not fail him. However, Androids 17 and 18 had outlived their usefulness. Oh yes, he had plans for Androids 17 and 18 when they returned. Oh yes, they would be part of his legacy. They would be made into perfection. They would be perfect. It was only a matter of time. In the corner of the room stood the very fat Android 19 he had created, "You know it's time. I've set up the lab. Everything automated. I just need you to stand watch. Make sure no one enters the chamber." The android nodded obediently. "Let the others know to wait for me to return. Tell them to place Android 22 in the programming room and stand guard. I expect Vegeta and Goku will come after her. Make sure they see our bargaining chip when they get here." He laughed evilly as a figure huddled in the corner squirmed and wiggled against her restraints. "Don't worry my dear. Very soon you will receive the same treatment as your friend." Blood trickled down his nose and he wiped it away. "But first, I need to evolve into something more."


	8. Chapter 8

Vegeta stood before the dais with his arms crossed in front of him. He was not pleased. He had hated traveling by instant transmission but to reach the new planet Vegeta would take months by regular travel. He looked around the modest thrown room. It was less ornate than he had expected but regal still the same. Banners of red and blue trimmed in gold hung from either sides of the walls as a long red carpet rose up to meet the white thrown. He wanted to sneer but made no such movement less it be reported to his brother. His brother adored him and Vegeta would not do anything to lower himself in his brother's eyes.

Goku whistled loudly, "Wow Vegeta, Tarble is really doing good isn't he?"

Vegeta nodded, "Of course, Kakarrot. Since coming to power Tarble has brought new glory to our civilization." Vegeta would admit only to himself that Tarble had made a better King than he would have. Vegeta was still blood thirsty and some of his deeds haunted his stained soul. If the Saiyan race were to move on beyond their ways that had spelled out their destruction, then they would need a King with a pure heart. Tarble had been the perfect choice. It didn't hurt that his wife was of the Tech Tech race and had advanced their technology far ahead of where they would have been on their own.

The mere thought of his brother was enough to summon him to the room apparently as a door opened and he stepped through. Tarble was a few years younger than Vegeta and to many people's surprise, even shorter. He was dressed in similar fashion to Vegeta but he had the cape of the King but like King Vegeta before him, refused to wear a crown. Both thought it ridiculous one because he was a warrior king and the other because he wanted to be one of his people not above them. Vegeta nodded his head in greeting but the young Saiyan ran up to his brother taking his hand in his. Tarble would have probably hugged him but he knew how Vegeta felt about hugs.

"Brother, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? And to our delight you've brought Goku too?" Tarble spoke with an animated tone. He extended his hand to the tall Saiyan who shook his with equal enthusiasm.

"Hi, Tarble how's your wife?" Goku inquired, he looked around for the tiny Tech Tech but didn't see her in the room.

Tarble blushed. "She's indisposed at the moment." Tarble's tail twitched back and forth, a obvious sign of nervousness. Vegeta raised an eyebrow at him which prompted him to explain. "She's on bed rest. The baby is due any day."

The blush on Tarble's face spread from his cheeks to his whole body as Goku and Vegeta gaped at the young Saiyan. "Well that's great news Tarble!" Goku said as he was the first to recover from the shock. Vegeta still couldn't quite close his mouth as he was mentally still trying to work out the logistics of the situation. Finally, still not comprehending he gave up and instead offered a polite murmur in agreement with Goku.

Tarble ran a hand through his tall thick hair so much like Vegeta's and smiled. "Yeah. We're both excited." Anxious to change the subject, Vegeta cleared his throat. Tarble's attention snapped back to the older brother who so rarely came to visit.

"I'm sorry, Vegeta. I know you don't have much patience for niceties. I know you've come here for a reason and I will do what I can to help you. After all, if you hadn't abdicated the thrown, I wouldn't have been crowned King. And to be honest," his voice lowered to a whisper, "if the other Saiyans didn't fear you and Goku so much, I probably wouldn't still be King. There have been some activities by a few unsavory folk that we can talk about another time. For now, we've seemed to isolated the dissenters by sending them on off world missions. You know how restless our people can be. Nothing makes a Saiyan unhappy as idleness."

Vegeta nodded. They were trying to change the direction of their race and knew that a few would cling to the old ways. Being dead for a few decades had not changed his people's thirst for war or fighting. Not that Vegeta wanted that part to change but the need to conquer and dominate and subdue left a bad taste in his mouth. They had suffered greatly under the thumb of Frieza. Doing that to other races seemed hypocritical to him. Instead, he and Tarble decided that they would send men out as mercenaries. They would protect defenseless people and planets. They had formed the Saiyan Mercenary Corp. They were even used as bodyguards for the rich or brute squads for intergalatic police. Spending time with the people they were protecting had the added effect of changing the minds and hearts of the Saiyans. Many had formed friendships and decided to stay on the worlds they were assigned with the blessing of the King of course.

Vegeta knew part of the reason this was encouraged was to help repopulate the Saiyan race by interbreeding. Before the destruction of their planet, less and less female Saiyans were being born and then suddenly, none at all. No scientist could figure out why. It was like their race was cursed to die out one way or another. So when Vegeta set up a kingdom of his own on Earth, Tarble never viewed it as a threat to his rule. The two of them could co-rule peacefully on separate planets. Tarble believed that was because Vegeta had taken some of the more violent and unruly of them to Earth with him. Partly to keep an eye on them and partly to remind them that Vegeta could make them into a mere stain on the ground if they were to challenge him. So far, it had worked out well for both of them.

Vegeta's foot began tapping impatiently. Tarble took it as the sign it was and got back to the topic at hand. "Sorry. Again, we'll talk later." He turned then to take a seat on the throne. Though he would like to be informal, he knew he must hear the request as a King and not as Vegeta's brother.

"We'd like permission to unleash the Death Squad," Vegeta said, every word stated through clenched teeth. He hated having to ask for help.  
Tarble almost fell off the throne. "The Death Squad? The elites? For who? Who could possibly be that great of a threat to the throne that we would need to gather that group together?"

Vegeta explained the situation beginning with Bulma's (now Angel) return to the fight with the androids appearing at the stadium.  
"Why didn't you go after her?" Tarble interrupted.

"Because we came here to see you dumb ass!" Vegeta shouted, losing control of his temper. The air around them filled with boiling heat as his power zapped a nearby column breaking it in two. Vegeta had wanted to go after Angel but Kakarrot had managed to convince him that he was walking into a trap. He had implored Vegeta to understand that Angel would be fine as Dr. Gero had wanted her alive and unharmed. Since they now knew that she had a different ki signature, they could track it easily. The only thing they needed were reinforcements since they would not know how many Androids they would be going up against. Besides, Kakarrot had sent baldy and the weakling to delay the androids long enough for them to get the reinforcements they would need. Still it did nothing to abate the feeling gnawing at the pit of his stomach. With each moment that passed, he prayed they were not too late to retrieve his Angel.

Tarble's tail shook a little. It was the only sign that he was afraid. He knew his brother wouldn't harm him on purpose but many people were often harmed by Vegeta inadvertantly as a result of his temper.

"Understood," Tarble responded, proud that he kept his voice from quivering. He pulled a scouter from his pocket. "This is King Vegeta the Second. I hereby authorize activation of the Death Squad under the command of Prince Vegeta of Earth, heir to the throne of Planet Vegeta."  
"I wish you would quit calling me that," Vegeta grumbled. It was an empty title as Vegeta had abdicated his right to the throne. Besides, now that Tarble had a brat on the way, that would be the new heir.

Tarble turned to his brother a sympathetic tone in his voice, "Vegeta, we both know this is a farce. I am only ruling for you because you fear your own past too much. You would be an excellent King. You are not the same as you were," he stepped off the throne, formality be damned and went to place a hand on his brother's shoulder, "You are not our father." As Tarble said the last statement slowly for emphasis, Vegeta felt every word echo through the black pit that was his soul. Vegeta didn't move choosing instead to say nothing letting the silence speak for itself.

Goku coughed into his hand loudly drawing attention to himself. "Tarble, the Tech Techs wouldn't happen to have anything with which we could capture the androids without hurting them would they?"

Tarble took his hand off Vegeta's shoulder instead choosing to rub his chin thoughtfully. "I'm sure they have something. You know they are very smart and have even come up with anti-Saiyan devices. Why don't you think their world was never conquered before?"

Vegeta frowned, "Nothing could harm me."

Tarble nodded, "I agree. You are a different case all together now, aren't you? But your average Saiyan baby doesn't fair too well." He smiled, recalling his own past. "They've come a long ways and have developed some things that will hold at least low level adult Saiyans. But even if I am married to one of their people, they will not show me all their cards for their own safety, of course."

"Absolutely fucking admirable," Vegeta grumbled. Tarble could tell what shell of patience he had remaining was dissolving with each passing second. "Now do you know where the Squad members are?"

Tarble snapped his fingers and a guard who had staying out of sight suddenly appeared. Tarble asked the man for his scouter. Tarble took a moment and programmed it to match his own before handing it to Vegeta to look over. Vegeta in turn handed it to Kakarrot. "I've set the coordinates for each member in the scouter. I'll also use it to contact you once the Tech Techs come up with something to defeat the androids." Tarble crossed his arms in front of him as he spoke directly to Vegeta, "I would like to remind you to use caution with these men. They are not known to back off or show mercy once they have been given the green light for a mission. I wouldn't even be using them except Dr. Gero kidnapped and harmed your mate. You know by Saiyan law that is an offense punishable by death. From all I heard, death would be merciful compared to the wrath of a Saiyan Prince."

Vegeta granted Tarble with a smile so sinister that he was sure the devil himself was standing before him. "You have no idea," Vegeta said, an edge to his voice. "And she's not my mate."

It was Tarble's turn to raise an eyebrow at him, "Oh, what is she then?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked in an annoyed tone, turning his back to his brother as he walked towards the nearest exit. Vegeta never said goodbye to anyone.

Tarble watched his brother with a puzzled expression. Goku patted the young man on the back causing him to stumble forward. He coughed a minute and smiled up at the taller man. "What did he mean?" he asked him.

Goku grinned stupidly. "Even I can see that one."

Tarble raised his hands and shrugged his shoulders in a sign of obvious confusion.

"She's his Angel," Goku answered before trailing off after Vegeta. He threw a quick hand up in the air to wave farewell to the King as he left.

Tarble smiled to himself. If anyone needed an Angel, it would be Vegeta. He walked over to the guard whose scouter he took. "Contact Chipuru on Planet Tech Tech. Also see if someone can contact a Professor Briefs on Planet Earth. Use one of our Earth based soldiers to go to the residence if you must." The guard nodded, leaving to quickly carry out the King's orders. Tarble said a quick prayer to whatever God would listen that Vegeta's quest would be successful. For God help the universe if anything happened to that girl.


	9. Chapter 9

"Come on, just one kiss," 17 pouted. Angel ignored him choosing instead to focus on her manicure. "It would help you fly and you wouldn't have to rely on 16 to carry you."

Angel patted 16 gently on the face, "But 16 likes carrying me, don't you big guy?"

16 blushed not sure why he was suddenly the focus of everyone's attention. "It is my job to deliver you to father, therefore if I need to carry you, I will because I must."

Angel crossed her arms against her chest. She refused to make her return any easier for any of them. Though she felt guilty cause any delay may result in punishment for the group, she couldn't really motivate herself to hasten to what she knew would certainly be her demise.

"See," she said to 17. "It's his job to carry me. We have to give him something to do. Besides, Vegeta isn't around for you to intentionally piss off."

17 grinned at her. "I can't help myself. The man makes himself an easy target. Don't over-inflate your ego by thinking that I enjoy kissing you."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "What man wouldn't enjoy a kiss from me? I'm an excellent kisser after all."

18 rolled her eyes. "Enough of this conversation you too, I think I may be sick."

Angel and 17 shared a look before they turned their attentions to the lovely blonde. "Jealous, sis?" 17 asked while Angel snickered. He made kissing motions with his lips at her. "I can always kiss you too. And I promise no tongue this time."

18 fed up with the teasing turned to kick him in the chest only to miss as he effectively dodged. The smirk on her twin's face pissing her off with every growing moment. "Enough with the teasing you two. Grow up!"

"Yes, mom!" The comedic pair answered.

18 growled in frustration, her arms in fists at her sides. She spotted a nearby truck abandoned on the side of the road and blasted it. Releasing some of the pent up energy satisfied her and she resumed her flight path to the lab. She became lost in her own thoughts again of the little bald headed man who stared at her like she was the only woman in the world. Maybe this was the real reason for her frustrations. She was interested in the little man and would like to talk to him further but couldn't do so with the pair of clowns she had for siblings. They would be unmerciful in their teasing if they knew she was interested in someone.

As they flew over a patch of strawberries, Angel suddenly started squirming. "Put me down 16, I'm hungry. I need a snack."  
"Negative, any delay in this mission would only anger father further," he stated.

"Please 16, I need to eat something. I'm hungry. It will only take a few minutes," she pleaded.

"No," he responded.

"Please? You know he's going to kill me when I get there, can't I at least get a last meal?" she asked, widening her eyes and batting her lashes.

He sighed. "I suppose we could stop for a moment. I don't think father will kill you though."

She patted the gentle giant on the shoulder. "I do. Then you'll have one less sister to annoy you."

They landed and said nothing as Angel picked a few ripe berries. She walked over to a nearby lake and sat down near its bank. She was lost in her own thoughts when she suddenly felt very sick. She ran to a nearby rock formation holding onto it for support. After she lost all the contents of her stomach, she dizzily made her way back to the lakeside. She laid down beside it and moaned a few times.

18 feeling uncharacteristically sympathetic gathered water into her hands and offered it to the grateful woman. Angel drank from 18s hands and laid back down. "Can we just rest a few minutes more please? I don't feel so good."

"Nerves?" 17 asked her concerned. They all may be joking and kidding around but the reality of flying their sister to her doom was ever present in the back on their minds.

"No, I feel strangely calm and accepting," Angel responded. Not very many people knew when they were fated to die or how they would die. She wasn't entirely sure what the mad scientist Dr. Gero had planned for her but it was sure to be extremely painful. No what she felt now was like a stomach bug or something. Strange though because she was a cyborg and wasn't supposed to get sick.

"Would you like for me to do a scan to see what is ailing you, 22?" 16 asked her.

"Sure 16 and my name is Angel by the way,"she corrected.

16's eyes became red as he scanned the length of her. He paused for a suspicious amount of time when he got near her stomach before he finally finished. His eyes returned to their normal ice blue. He knelt down beside her on one knee and moved her hair out of her face. "I don't think father will kill you now. So you have nothing to fear."

"Why?" she asked nervously, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Father would not destroy such a valuable specimen residing within you," he said.

Angel's blood turned to ice as a new fear gripped her. She clutched her stomach protectively as uncontrolled tears flowed down her face. What had she done? How long ago was it that she was first with Vegeta? She rolled onto her back and covered her face with her arms blocking out the bright sunlight.

"Angel, is he saying what I think he's saying?" 17 asked, an eyebrow raised in question.

"Don't even 17. I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now," she said, her voice shaky.

There was really nothing they could do to help her. They each had a bomb in their chest that would ignite if they even thought about defying Dr. Gero. They sat down beside her, letting the silence speak for itself.

* * *

It took all the strength that Goku had to keep a raging Vegeta in check. Yamcha was laying on a cot near death and Krillin was shaking from fear. The bald man quickly said a prayer to every God he thought might listen at the moment. Vegeta had not taken the news that they had lost Angel well at all. In fact, they were lucky there was still a planet Earth.

Vegeta paced angrily back in forth like a lion in a zoo. He eyed the two failures with disdain and a promise of a torturous death. He knew he shouldn't have trusted Kakarrot. The two men couldn't even follow orders. They weren't supposed to engage the enemy, they were merely to tail them until the back up arrived. They couldn't even do that.

"For what it is worth Vegeta, Angel gave me a message for you," Krillin said.

He paused in his pacing, "What did she say?" Each syllable spoken with a bite sharp enough that Krillin had to check himself to make sure he wasn't bleeding.  
"She said that she would be waiting for you to come get her," he stuttered, " She told me to tell you that there are strings attached. I think that you might know what that means." He raised his hands in a peaceful gesture, hoping to reduce some of Vegeta's anger.

Vegeta took a step back stunned. He didn't know how to respond. Was that the woman's way of telling him that she loved him? He looked away not meeting anyone's eyes for the moment. He especially didn't want to see the knowing look Kakarrot was giving him right now.

Thankfully nothing needed to be said as an explosion blasted a big whole in the right of the room they were standing in. A clone of Kakarrot came in with his scouter attached to his face. His Saiyan battle armor well worn and his tail wrapped tightly around his waist in usual Saiyan style.

Behind him there was a long haired man with a circlet on his head. He held himself with an easy going grace. He came to stand by the first man. Vegeta knew the man hid a berserker side that could be set free with removal of the headband.

Another man stepped through the entrance, he was older with a scar over his left eye. He wore a white cape off his right shoulder and carried himself with the pride befitting his people.

Finally a small female Saiyan entered behind the unlikely crew. Her hair was parted in the middle. One side was shaved shortly while the other side was long. Vegeta sensed her blood thirst before she even stepped through the door. Goku also noticed the unassuming female and looked towards her with a kind of curiosity. She was the only one Vegeta didn't know but probably the most deadly of the Saiyan Death Squad. Like him most would see her small form and think she wasn't as powerful as the three men with her. That assumption would usually be the opponents death. She was leader of the squad for a reason.

He inclined his head to the small Captain in acknowledgement. "Serori."

She bowed before him in submission but her eyes kept locked with his. "Vegeta." She didn't use his title of Prince. An open sign of disrespect or maybe even disdain. Not lowering her eyes was also a challenge that Vegeta was about to meet. He needed to relieve some of his anger anyway.

Goku thought to himself "oh fuck" and moved to intervene before anything could get started. They needed these men in the fight with the andriods. Though it wasn't usually like Goku to ask for help, especially when he thought he could take them himself, something inside him insisted they do this. Or maybe it was that talk he had with King Kai after Bulma (er, Angel) had returned to them.

The wise man had informed Goku that they would need help. That this wasn't going to be an ordinary fight. That something sinister was lurking. Not just here but in the universe. A deep unsettling cold was coming for them and they would need every available fighter. And King Kai had never steered him wrong before.  
"Vegeta, Angel is waiting for us," he reminded quietly as he blocked the Prince's path from the female.

The woman smirked at him openly amused at how she was getting under the Prince's skin. Pagarus cleared his throat. "You called for us, your highness?"

Vegeta's eyes didn't leave Serori's as he answered the man, "There is a threat to the kingdom that we are going to destroy."

Pagarus nodded. "We are at your service, Sire."

Turles cracked his knuckles loudly, "Any horn heads to destroy by chance?"

Vegeta shook his head, "I can't say what we'll be up against, but we're going to face several opponents. They are incredibly strong and their energy is limitless. There is also a hostage we need to retrieve no matter the cost. Do you think you can handle this mission?"

Turles nodded. "There's nothing we can't handle."

Serori put a hand on her hip, "Who is the hostage?"

Vegeta walked over to the computer and pulling up a survellance photo of Angel. Her back was turned to them as she looked over her shoulder. He recognized it as a scene from the lab when she was about to leave through the window. He felt an uncomfortable feeling in his heart as he stared at the photo.  
"This woman here. Her name is Angel. She is vitally important to the empire," he stated.

"To the empire or to you?" Serori questioned in a snarky tone.

Vegeta sneered at the woman, "Her importance is not of question here. You will do as your told or so help me I will end your miserable existence right here." Vegeta immediately turned Super Saiyan so she could feel a taste of his power. Instead of quivering in fear, she started laughing.

"Is that all you have Vegeta? I achieved that state ages ago," she then powered up to show him. As did the rest of the squad in support of their captain.

It was Vegeta's turn to smirk. "Oh, that's only a fraction of my power. Here let me show you." A wave of darkness engulfed the room as his power level started rising exponentially. Turles's scouter broke and he blinked to keep the debris from his eye.

Vegeta's hair changed from golden to blue and his power just kept increasing. Awed by his strength, Serori took a step back bumping into Broly who had come to stand behind her. The men were standing there, gaping at their Prince.

Turles was the first to take a knee. Followed by Paragus, then Broly and finally Serori submitted. Where she had first looked at her Prince in scorn, she now looked at him with adoration.

Vegeta upon seeing the submission let the energy disperse. He came to stand before them. "Do I have your obedience?"

"Yes! My Prince!" They all answered at once.

Vegeta smirked. "Good, now let's discuss the mission." He went to the computer screen again. He pulled up all the details on the enemy as he told them the plan for extracting Angel and making Dr. Gero pay for taking what was his.


	10. Chapter 10

Her eyes opened, she wasn't aware of falling asleep but she was tired. It must be the extra drain on her energy supporting another life. She glanced around. She was back in the lab. Sixteen had dutifully fulfilled his mission of returning her back to base. The room was sterile but strangely comforting. She could relate to the machines and they to her. A part of her wanted to bury herself in this room to study all the mysteries and never come out.

But the new part of her felt wary. It was too quiet in the lab. Dr. Gero should have been here, going over things, taunting her, erasing her, rebuilding her for a new purpose or worse, destroying her entirely. He would break her down cell by cell painfully until there was nothing left. She clutched protectively at the thought. Sixteen had said that she was too valuable now that she carried a precious cargo.

She got up from where someone had placed her on a cold steel table to rest. Someone had rolled up some sheets, placing them under her head. Whomever that was also had the forethought to place a trashcan beside her just in case. She stretched, working out a few knots in her shoulders from where she had slept wrong.

"You should tell her how you feel," a woman's voice, half hiss, half command.

"No," a male voice responded, footsteps on concrete sounding distant then close, the telltale sign of someone pacing.

"If you don't tell her, she'll never know. At least she would have a choice then. She may think her only option is her old life with that monkey," said the woman.

"No, it was hard enough to go back after that last mission when Dr. Gero erased her memories. I don't care if he punishes me, I can take the torture. If he punishes her..." there was a pause as the pacing stopped. "It may kill her this time. And it's not just her now."

"Tch," the woman made a sound. She must have been taking lessons at the Vegeta school for communication skills. Angel smiled and made some exaggerated yawning noises before she crept off the table. She didn't want them to know she was eavesdropping.

She walked into the next room to find 17 and 18 standing off against the other. 17 was facing away from her, his arms crossed, suddenly finding the panel of lights and gadgets interesting. 18 was looking at the floor, placing a few flaxen strands of hair behind one ear. The silence though bothered her more than neither of them meeting her eyes.

"Whatever it is, it will be OK," she said with the conviction she didn't feel.

"Ya," 18 responded. She was gritting her teeth, her hand fisting and then she punched a wall. Angel was slightly surprised by this reaction and moved out of her adopted sister's way as the girl stormed passed her, careful not to bump into her as she was going out the door.

"What's gotten into her?" she asked 17 who still didn't look at her. "Well you all are as fun as a circus full of mimes. Anyway, I'm going to look for clothes that don't smell like vomit."

"22?" 17 started.

"Angel, remember?" She said but with a playful note so as not to hurt his feelings. She could see something was weighing on his shoulders.

"Nothing," 17 said before he too walked past her into the other room.

Angel wondered around until she found the trunk full of her clothes. Or she should say Android 22's clothes. After all, she would only be Angel until Dr. Gero erased her memories again. It would be like resetting to original factor settings. After all, she was just a walking computer in flesh form.

"Are you feeling better?" A voice called out to her.

16 was standing in the door way as she was changing. She wasn't offended that he was there. He wasn't anatomically correct. Even if someone had thought to add the necessary equipment she doubted they'd remember to program him with a sex drive. Just the thought was gross! Still she treated him as friendly as she could. He was always very gentle with her or at least that was her impression. Sometimes when you don't have reliable memories, you just have to go with your gut instinct.

"Yes, 16, thank you," She told him with a small smile. She felt a little better. She was dressed in a red leather one piece zip up outfit. She thought she looked great. It was skin tight and custom made to accentuate all her curves in the right way. She pulled her hair into a bow and put a red ribbon in it. She laughed when she saw herself in a reflective surface. The ribbon made her look like she had bunny ears...

{Bunny ears... a black outfit...running in heels...where was she going?}

The sensation was like water sliding off her skin. She could almost touch this memory. Her brain began flipping like a tv set, changing channels on her as fast as she could blink.

{Then she was falling. Falling... from a place very high. And someone caught her, he was smirking at her. His cobalt eyes trapping hers in their dark depths. And then she was falling in a different way, his touch lingering longer than it should, his eyes watching her every move, finding things to argue about with her until...}

{"It's just us now 22, high or low?" a different voice, different eyes directed at her in a way that made her heart flutter. She felt herself blush at that cocky grin of his. The slow drawl he had when he spoke undermining the sheer ferociousness with which he could fight.

"I'll take high," she said, her wings spreading in anticipation.

"Great, then I get to see up your skirt," he replied. She flipped him the bird but couldn't hide her smile as the sunlight faded.}

{And the light faded and she was back in his strong arms. He had finished training and was angry and broken. So broken. Broken she could deal with, broken she was familiar with, she was broken too. A weight crushing them both greater than the heavy gravity he constantly trained under. Together they could fix each other. Together...}

She wanted to hold together to stay with the memory. Just one complete memory. Just to hold on.

{Holding on as she fell over the chair with him. And she was laughing at their antics because they were amusing. Pretending to be angry when someone made a mistake. Doing what she could to help them in trouble. Giving them the dragon radar. Building them a spaceship. Hugging them cause in the end they were family.}

{Family...}

{And she was covering their retreat her wings damaged, her energy low. No one would hurt them while she was there. She always had a strategy. She would save them all cause in the end they were family...}

{Family...}

{Family...}

"22, are you OK?" 16 was holding her. She must have passed out again.

"I'm fine," she lied. She didn't want to tell him that she was afraid she was losing herself. Afraid the nanites might be taking over and finally destroying her brain. Afraid that she would never be Angel again, just another doll among the rest of the doctor's toys.

"You are leaking from your eyes? Is this normal or a malfunction? We can have the doctor look at you when he is done." He offered, righting her back on her two feet.

"I'm fine," she insisted, wiping away the unwelcome tears with her fingers. 16 didn't look convinced. "Thanks for being here for me."

"It is in my programming to assist but I understand what you are trying to convey," 16 said.

She patted him on the chest in an affectionate manner then walked away towards another part of the compound. She still felt unsteady but didn't want to cause anyone to worry so she took a seat at the doctor's desk. Nearby was the communications array. Though she really wanted to contact someone she knew it would be futile. The signal would be interrupted before it could fully transmit due to the doctor's fail-safes or he would punish her remotely like he had tried earlier.

 _You know, you could always try old fashioned Morse code_. The voice in her head said.

"And who would be smart enough to know Morse code? Vegeta's an alien who thinks Enimem is a snack so it is doubtful he would ever know Morse code. Goku is as smart as a box of pop rocks and just as fruity. Don't even get me started on Krillin. Gohan is a pretty smart kid, he might but how would I reach Gohan directly?"

 _You could increase your ki to max. Vegeta would find you that way._

"It's not that detectable or Vegeta would have found me years ago. I'm not convinced it exists in androids anyway with the different power sources."

 _Man you are just a Debbie Downer aren't you?_

"I'm a realist," she said with the realization how stupid she was talking to herself. And when did this start anyway?

 _Not stupid. A genius remember. A hot genius. Seriously girl that outfit is kickin' and our ass looks fantastic in it!  
_

"Great, now the voice in my head is hitting on me! God I'm so damaged." She groaned and placed her head on the desk accidentally triggering a button.

The printer kicked on and reprinted the last transmission. She picked up the paper, studying it.

[Arrival in 12 hours. Bringing reinforcements. Likely attack on compound. Do NOT reprogram Blue1. Interrogate upon arrival. Her mission successful. Trap set.]

 _Trap? Vegeta!_

"I have to get a message out somehow!" She scrambled to her feet. Racing to find one of the others. She ran right into 17 as he was walking toward the galley.

"Help me!" She said, her breathing ragged.

17 grabbed her shoulders, his face growing concerned, "What's wrong?"

"It's a trap, it's all a trap!" Her mind finally putting all the pieces together. "It was never about killing Doctor Briefs. It was all about having a bait so irresistible that the enemy would have to come to you. It's all smoke and mirrors! It was all one long con, a show!"

17 made shushing noises, "Hey, slow down 22, you're not making sense."

"Don't you get it, I'm the bait. I go in and catch their interest. When they still have doubts about me, I get attacked by Dr. Gero through the neural link. Well this settles it, I'm just a victim, right? Someone they have to protect, someone they would DIE to save. Poor helpless android that used to be our friend. And when they come here to 'rescue' me, they'll be waiting! _I'LL_ be waiting! That's why he hasn't reprogrammed me yet, he wants them to be here to watch it happen. To see how low he's brought me! To see how powerful he is! He wants to watch as I kill them all one by one. To see the horror in their eyes as they realize the type of monster I've become!" She wanted to cry but instead she started laughing, a horrible, mirthless laugh. How fucked up was she to be laughing at all this? She slid to her knees with 17 sliding down with her, still holding on to her shoulders.

"You're not a monster," he said.

"I'm the worst kind of monster," she replied, "I'm the one that looks like an Angel but I'm really the Devil who glued wings on his back."

"You're an Angel. Isn't that your name?" He asked in a tone of a parent talking to a child.

"Is it? I don't know who I am anymore. And soon, I won't be me! I don't want to..."

He pulled her to him, crushing her mouth with his, silencing her. She felt the flow of energy from him. It coursed through her weary body giving her a much needed boost. She drank it up greedily, enjoying the euphoria that an energy transfer always brought her. When she had her fill she tried to pull away but he held her tight, keeping his lips on hers. He kept his movements slow as if trying not to startle a baby deer. One hand fisted in her hair while the other slid down her back keeping her body flush with his.

 _Vegeta is going to rip his balls off when he finds out. Too bad. He's cute in a quiet, sensitive type way. You know where your true heart lies though. You can't keep him. Life doesn't work like that._

She tuned out the voice in her head. Instead she concentrated on him, recalling the conversation she overheard earlier. 17 cared about her, she knew this. Though a lot of her memories were taken from her at the start of each job, some things were always left in. Her relationships to the other androids was one of them. It was necessary so she would be able to work with them no matter who she had become. This, this was a surprise. She didn't know he felt this way, she had no clue. How could she have known. She knew he was smart, quiet, resourceful, a prolific fighter, and had a wicked sense of humor that matched her own. But somewhere in the recesses of her brain, she felt that connection. A thread as fragile as a spider's web spun between them. She kissed him back because she knew if she didn't her heart would break. She reached her hands up and cupped his face. How could she be so much to so many people?

The kiss wasn't the most spectacular one she had ever known, certainly not the most passionate. However, it was the one with the most emotion she had ever felt. Sorrow, grief, happiness, relief, denial, acceptance, and finally bitterness. It was a kiss two lovers parting forever would share. When it ended, their eyes met with full understanding. She wasn't ready for it to end yet. She pulled him to her for a hug. Her head resting on his shoulder as she breathed in his scent. She wanted to take this memory with her into her next inception, her next "life".

"I'm sorry," she said, breaking the moment because someone had to. "I didn't..."

"Mm," he murmured. He held her a few more minutes before she felt him push her back. There was no expression in his face, no regret, no anguish, just acceptance. It almost broke her again but she knew it was a defense mechanism. They could move on now this way. They could be friends this way.

 _He can let go this way_... the voice said.

She sighed unsure of what to say.

"Come on, we have to get the others and figure out what we can do to stop this before everyone gets slaughtered," he stood up as she sat back on her legs. He reached down and lifted her to her feet with one hand, his touch and eyes lingering before he looked away.

She followed him as he turned to go down the hallway. "Your butt looks big in that outfit," he teased.

"Said no sane man to a woman ever," she countered.

"Only if they're talking to a sane woman," he snarked. "However, we both know that you are mentally deficient in the wardrobe department."

"I'll have you know that I look amazing. At least I don't try to look like an extra from Firefly. That show was cancelled for a reason!" She mocked.

"It wasn't because of the costumes I can tell you that. God, Nathan Fillion is so underrated," he said indignantly. "He needs to be in more stuff!"

She smiled, grateful for what he was trying to do. Letting them fall back into their familiar banter. Finding a balance for them. Now they could focus on what they needed to do, letting go in the process.

* * *

A/N: I don't usually do notes but I understand this chapter may be confusing to some of you (per my friend who read it). Also, I'm writing this late and haven't edited well. So if you need me to change something, please let me know.

Earlier in the chapter when she was changing, Bulma's brain was flipping between her life with Vegeta and her friends to her life with the Androids. I've taken some inspiration for this chapter from the show, "Dollhouse" where the main character is reprogrammed but somehow all her old personalities merge into one and she has memories from them all. A friend lent me the dvds recently and I just sat down and watched them. Good show.

I promise I will go into more detail later about what happened between 17 and Bulma when she was on missions. I just had to pour so much into this chapter that it would be a REALLY LONG chapter if I included it all. All Bulma senses was a really deep connection between the two of them and she feels a loss because she can't be with him because she truly loves Vegeta. I'm sure if Vegeta was not in her life that she would purse this connection with him but he's not going to let her cause he's awesome like that and knows what is best for her and where her heart truly lies.

I'm so glad to be writing again. I have more stories that I'm going to post that I've been working on, I just want them a little more closer to completed so everyone who wants to read won't be waiting for updates forever like with this one and Fade to Black.

Thanks so much for reading and sorry for the delay. Work has been terrible but now it's slow again, so expect more soon! Thanks so much for the comments and sticking with me! You all are great!


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